David Cameron stole another march on Gordon Brown, with his astute plea on Sunday for independent candidates to join his party and a pledge to strengthen the powers of parliament.
The Conservative leader’s initiatives may produce more headlines than substantive change. The call for Esther Rantzen-style champions of the people to seek a Tory candidacy is aimed principally at those seats – only a few so far – where MPs are being forced out by the expenses scandal. Any successful candidates will have to take the Tory whip, which might be seen as negating the raison d’être for standing in protest at the existing system.
