TORY leadership rivals set their sights today on winning back seats in northern cities as they lined up for a "beauty contest" at their Blackpool conference.
Favourite David Davis said they must be victorious in cities such as Manchester.
And "big beast" former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke said the biggest challenge they faced was to start winning elections again. Manchester has no Tory MPs or councillors.
The conference will be dominated by speeches from all the contenders bidding to replace Michael Howard - Mr Davis, Mr Clarke, education spokesman David Cameron, Liam Fox and Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
A new opinion poll today suggested Mr Clarke and Mr Davis could fight it out in the finals - with 30 per cent support each. Mr Cameron lags behind on 15 per cent. Mr Davis's supporters say he has the backing of 66 of the 198 Conservative MPs, as well as his support among party members in the country.
Rival Mr Cameron has likened himself to Coca Cola - he says he is the "real thing".
Mr Davis has likened himself to Heineken, because he says the party has to reach parts of Britain never reached before.
Choice
"We've got to recover Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Cardiff," he said.
"I want the party and the country to have the choice.
"I don't want this job on any terms - only on terms where I win it straight.
"Then the party can unify, because if it doesn't unify, we won't win."
With the Tories preparing for the first party conference in more than 40 years to be dominated by a leadership contest, Mr Clarke said: "We have to address the big issues facing the country such as the economy, public services, terrorism and security.
"If we are to implement our ideas, we need to be in government."
In Greater Manchester, the Conservatives failed to win back Cheadle, won by the Liberal Democrats at the last election, and Mr Clarke said they had to stop the Lib Dem advance in its tracks.
"We also need new voters," he said. "The dismal situation is that we are the third choice party among under-35s."
Could the Tories get a foot-hold in Manchester? Have your say.
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Due to the way votes are counted in this country whether a party other than not at all any new ideas labour win they will still be declared the loser the tories polled more votes than labour at the last election but were declared losers what we need is a review of the way votes are counted and a decent party of whatever political leaning in power instead of the self serving lap dogs we have at the moment.