The Telegraph is reporting that next week David Cameron will invite David Davis to take on a role overseeing Tory policy on civil liberties. Presumably, the hope is that this will ensure that Davis is more inside the tent than out.
It does not, though, solve the problem of the balance of the Tory top team. Davis’s resignation removed one of two the Tories who was most effective at connecting with the C2s and the party need to find someone to plug this gap. The most frequently touted solution to this problem is to move Eric Pickles into the role of party chairman.
Turnout of 34.5 percent yesterday does not provide Davis with an emphatic mandate for his campaign but it did prevent him from becoming a figure of fun; his big beat status is intact so the leadership still need to treat him with respect. The next thing to watch for on the DD front is how he is received at conference.
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