By
Glen Owen
18:21 EST, 21 July 2012
|
18:21 EST, 21 July 2012
Not superhuman: Tim Montgomerie, Editor of the Conservative Home website, has said that the role of election strategist should go to Michael Gove not George Osborne
George Osborn was under pressure last night to surrender his role as Tory Election strategist to rising Cabinet star Michael Gove.
Mr Osborne – who has been dubbed the ‘part-time Chancellor’ by Labour for holding Election planning meetings on top of his economic brief – was told he is ‘not superhuman’ and should concentrate on his Treasury job.
The remarks by Tim Montgomerie, the influential editor of the Conservative Home website, come amid increasingly open criticism of Mr Osborne by Tory MPs concerned about the Government’s faltering reputation for economic competence.
The MPs worry he is being kept in his dual role only because of his close relationship with David Cameron.
Mr Montgomerie said: ‘George may be good, he may be brilliant, but he is not superhuman. It is simply not possible to do all the jobs he is currently doing well.
‘We want a full-time General Election strategist, someone who can win the first Conservative majority since 1992 and George Osborne cannot do that.
‘Michael Gove would be my choice – someone who is intellectually brilliant, has the confidence of the Prime Minister and of the party.’
Senior Conservative figures increasingly favour moving Mr Gove from education and making him party chairman with overall command of the party’s political strategy.
The current party co-chairs, Baroness Warsi and Lord Feldman, are not regarded as effective political operators.
The suggestion reflects Mr Gove’s rapid rise up the Tory rankings. Until recently, Mr Osborne and London Mayor Boris Johnson were seen as the frontrunners for the leadership after David Cameron.
Head to head: Montgomerie says that the role should go to the ‘intellectually brilliant’ Michael Gove instead of George Osborne
But a series of powerful Commons performances and a combative turn at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics have turned Mr Gove into a leading backbench favourite.
Other figures close to No 10 argue that it would be wrong to move Mr Gove from education after barely more than two years in the post.
Mr Gove himself is believed to be wary of taking such an overtly campaigning job with almost three years to go before the next Election.
Yesterday ex-Chancellor Nigel Lawson backed the calls for Mr Osborne to concentrate on his job as Chancellor: ‘I do think it might be sensible to give up the formal role and focus exclusively on his job as Chancellor, which is a tremendously important job.’
A Treasury source said: ‘George Osborne is a full-time Chancellor. There is nothing wrong with him being close to the Prime Minister.
‘Blair and Brown couldn’t bear to be in the same room, and look where that got us.’
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