Davis gains backing of a third of MPs

As the Conservative conference gets under way leadership front-runner David Davis has said he is nervous about losing.

The shadow home secretary, who currently has the backing of 66 MPs, needs just one more to vote for him to put him in the final membership ballot.

Davis told BBC1's Sunday AM: "I used to... climb mountains and the higher you got the more nervous you got.

"So there is an element of that about it."

There have been suggestions that Davis supporters could vote tactically in the knock-out ballots of MPs to keep Ken Clarke out of the final membership ballot, where polls suggest he could win.

However, Davis insisted he would not sanction such a strategy and appeared to signal that Clarke should be in the final round.

"I'm not going to do that. I don't believe in that nonsense," he said.

"I'm told it has happened in previous leadership elections but I don't really believe in that.

"I actually think one of the problems we have had over time is that people have not had the choice they wanted.

"And I want the party and the country to have the choice."

He again insisted he would not do deals with individuals or groups.

The religious, right-wing Cornerstone group has challenged the contenders to sign up to its manifesto.

Davis said he genuinely shared many of their values, such as on Europe.

However, he added: "No would-be leader should put himself in hock, as it were, to any particular part of the party. You have got to lead the whole party.

"They must take as read, or not, what my beliefs are. They are pretty public domain beliefs."

However, while Davis insisted there was "no deal" with former leader William Hague, he made it clear there would be a place for him in his shadow cabinet, saying: "I would love to see him back".

One the economy, Davis advocated "a flatter, lower tax" and said that in the event of an economic down-turn borrowing, rather than tax, should rise.

"Under those circumstances you have to use borrowing, frankly," he said.

"We will not be able to afford the (Gordon) Brown strategy which simply to spend too much in good times and then we starve in bad times."