|HOMEPAGE | NEWS | WORLD SERVICE | SPORT | MY BBC||low graphics | help|
|You are in: Vote2001|
Thursday, 24 May, 2001, 10:41 GMT 11:41 UK
Hague likened to Kinnock
William Hague has been on the receiving end of a mauling from a traditional Conservative supporter who said his leadership was a handicap to Tory election chances.
The caller on a BBC Five Live phone-in show on Thursday accused Mr Hague of being a Tory version of Labour's Neil Kinnock.
Mr Hague brushed off the attack, saying it was his job to win over such voters over the next fortnight.
And he insisted the general election race was still wide open as millions of people were still undecided in their voting intentions.
The caller asked whether Mr Hague would stand down as leader if he lost the election.
Mr Hague replied: "This election is wide open. Millions of people have not decided how to vote or whether to vote.
"I'm not planning for defeat, I'm planning for victory."
He claimed he was winning a very good reaction from the public but the caller, who said he was traditionally a Tory voter, continued to press him.
Mr Hague responded: "Then I've got to win you over in the next two weeks, haven't I?"
He denied reports that his father Nigel had said a Tory election win would be "miracle".
No racist votes
On the phone-in, the Tory leader also defended the way he dealt with John Townend, the former MP whose comments on immigration meant he was threatened with expulsion from the party.
Mr Hague denied Mr Townend's views were prevalent in Conservative Associations across the country.
He continued: "I don't want anybody's vote who is a racist. Absolutely not.
"I don't think that the vast majority of people in this country are racist at all."
Labour and the Liberal Democrats are challenging him to shift the spotlight onto public services.
But Mr Hague turned his fire on Labour's targets to recruit more doctors and nurses for the NHS.
He accused Labour of "plucking a number out of the air".
A Tory government could achieve any target faster by focusing on retaining more current staff, while also matching Labour's health spending plans.
"We have got a serious shortage of all these people that has arisen under them in the last four years," he continued.
"Rather than setting an arbitrary target, what we should be doing is things that encourage people to stay in the health service.
"Not just plucking a number out of the air, but doing things that encourage people to be in these professions."
Mr Hague also indicated he would scrap the government's existing targets for reducing waitings lists.
"We have got to get rid of things like political, statistically motivated things like the waiting list and let the doctors decide how long somebody should have to wait and how quickly somebody should be dealt with."
|^^ Back to top
VOTE2001 | Main Issues| Features | Crucial Seats | Key People | Parties | Results & Constituencies | Candidates | Opinion Polls | Online 1000 | Virtual Vote | Talking Point | Forum | AudioVideo | Programmes | Voting System | Local Elections
Nations: N Ireland | Scotland | Wales
To BBC News>> | To BBC Sport>> | To BBC Weather>>