Two Contenders For The Top

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30588, 3 November 1964, Page 13

Two Contenders For The Top

(N.ZP A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, November 2. Two young men—both tipped as future Prime Ministers—face their supreme test in the new British Parliament opening tomorrow.

For, within a few months, one of them may be chosen to take over from Sir Alec Doug-las-Home to lead the Conservative Party into the next General Election against Mr Wilson’s Labour Government. The current favourite to be*ome the new Conservative Party leader if 61-year-old Sir Alec Douglas-Home steps down is Mr Reginald Maudting, aged 47. a former Chancellor of the Exchequer. His chief rival is Mr Edward Heath, aged 48, who was jecretary for industry in the outgoing Conservative Administration and who made his name during Britain’s bid to loin the European Common Market. Both men have been given key jobs in the Conservative Party’s new role as official opposition in Parliament to the

Labour Administration. How well they meet the challenge in a hard-fought House of Commons may decide which of them ultimately gets the top job in their party and a chance to become the nation’s leader. The posts they have been

given reflect the widely differ ing characters of the two men The former Chancellor o the Exchequer, as chief Con servative front bench spokes man in the House of Com mons, will be the “doer.” Mi Heath, as head of the party’! policy planning division, wil be the “thinker.” Mr Maudling, tall, bulky casual in manner and dress describes himself as "a bon optimist.” He entered politic in 1945 as one of the “bacl room boys” at Conservativ< Party headquarters, became 1 member of Parliament in 1951 and soon earned a reputatioi as an able and quick worker The affable dispositior which is displayed by Mi Maudling is shared by Mi Heath. But beneath that is what one observer has described as “< layer of tungsten steel pur pose.” Mr Heath, more thar many other politicians, spend! a long time thinking abou what he is trying to do be fore he attempts anything. Years as a party manage in the House of Common! taught him diplomacy. Th< Common Market negotiation! gave him a new authority ant mastery of complex economfc issues.

While Mr Maudling is a . family man with wide outside ' interests, Mr Heath is a bache- ■ lor and subordinates every- . thing to his career. Tall, greying and with a • deep interest in music, he ; shares with Mr Maudling the I middle-class background of many of the post-war Con- , servative leaders. Unless a powerful third i challenger appears in the near ; future, it seems that Con- : servatives have a finely-bal- ■ anced choice ahead of them i for their future leader. i :