Michael Howard's popularity among his own MPs has been hit after a weekend opinion poll suggested that the Conservatives had dropped to level pegging with the Liberal Democrats.

After a lacklustre performance against Tony Blair in the debate on Iraq last week, the Populus survey for the News of the World had Labour on 30 per cent, while the Tories were tied on 28 per cent with the Liberal Democrats.
 
Former leadership contender Michael Portillo said that the party has "started muttering" because of Howard's failure to mount a clear attack on the prime minister on the issue of Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph reports that Conservative MPs who are thought to be "underperforming" are coming under pressure to retire.

David Maclean, the party chief whip, is having "a quiet whisky" with members whom he believes are not pulling their weight.

He has dubbed them "parliamentary bedblockers".

One source said: "It is very frustrating. All you see are these old, suntanned faces who seem incredibly uninspired. They just seem to lack a will to win, or any self-belief.

"Compare that to Labour when they were in opposition. They were hungry. Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Straw and Blunkett all acted as a team. They had a strategy. And every day they did something to try to turf us out of office."

The FT reveals that David James, who is carrying out a study of government waste for the Conservatives, has turned down an offer of help from the Treasury.