Kenneth Clarke: You Ask The Questions

Is the Conservative policy on Europe the right one? BELLA JOWETT, Leeds

Conservative policy on Europe has been settled by David Cameron, andI have no intention of seeking to change or challenge it. The policy is reasonably moderate and the policy does not provide any justification for me declining to join the Shadow Cabinet at a time of economic crisis or accept collective discipline, as British politicians always do in our system of parliamentary government.

Will you be campaigning for the Conservative party in the European elections? JOHN HEESOM, Chandlers Ford

Related articles

• Clarke plans 'low profile' during Euro election
• Search the news archive for more stories

I will consider invitations to campaign, but some of our European election candidates may feel as I do that I would not be the most persuasive of advocates on some of their campaigning issues.

What would be the first thing you did as Business Secretary? PAUL TAYLOR, Aberystwyth

It is genuinely impossible to tell what the situation will be, if we are elected. If I was Business Secretary now, I would be devoting all my energies to ensuring that the government swiftly produce and implement a package to clean up the balance sheets of the banks and enable normal commercial credit to begin to flow to business again.

The overriding duty of any Business Secretary in office will be to act as an advocate for the legitimate interests of business and industry to keep the government on a pro-business course.

How long do you think the recession will last? LISA WAN, Andover

Total uncertainty about the length and depth of this recession is one of the most worrying and frightening features of the present situation. Anyone who tells you that he is certain that he knows how long the recession will last is, by definition, an idiot.

What do you think of Barack Obama's stimulus package? CHRIS REYNOLDS, Nottingham

Only the Americans could contemplate a financial stimulus package of that size. With the world's biggest economy by far, and a reserve currency, they can probably take the gamble. The package contains a few political pork barrel features and some of the expenditure is of more obvious value than others.

Before you got your new job, you said Euro-sceptic policies could make President Obama see the UK as isolationist. Do you still believe that? ALAN MOORE, Whitstable

Mr. Moore has rather shuffled about the quotations that people got from an academic seminar I spoke at a few weeks ago. I described the present Euro-sceptic policies of the Conservative Party as moderate. I expressed the opinion that working in alliance with President Obama would put pressure on the Party to stay moderate on the issue. I also said thatPresident Obama would not want isolationists as allies – which somejoker deliberately misconstrued as a reference to my party.

In December you came out against supporting marriage through the tax system. David Cameron feels differently. Have you changed your mind? JENNIFER BURT, London

I am now directly exposed to the collective wisdom of my colleagues in [the Shadow] cabinet and of course I accept the policy of my party.

You said recently that you preferred being a backbencher, and that being an opposition spokesman would be tedious. Is it? ANDREA WILBY, Bury

I greatly enjoyed the liberty of being a backbencher and I was tempted to carry on enjoying it. In the end, David had little difficulty in persuading me that I really had to make a more responsible and disciplined contribution to policy and he talked me into coming on board.

I suspect that Peter Mandelson was not too keen on leaving Brussels, where he was enjoying himself. I am certainly enjoying my change of role, and I suspect that Peter Mandelson is too.

Surely your being brought in to help George Osborne out is a sign that even his own party doesn't view him as a safe pair of hands? ALEXANDER COBB, Alton

I have always thought George Osborne to be an excellent Shadow chancellor and I was very supportive of him before anybody ever thought of bringing me on to the Front Bench. I hope that people see me as another member of his economic team and one of the group he now has to advise him. I hope I can add value to the team, but George is, in my judgement, cut out to be the next chancellor and will be very good at it.

You recently said that the UK economy was 'excessively regulated'. Doesn't that make you hopelessly out of touch with the British people? RACHEL WARHURST, Alderley Edge

Our present problems were caused by failures on the part of both Government and the private sector. The recession was largely caused by the folly of bankers and the complete failure of the system set up by Gordon Brown to regulate banking and financial services. Once we begin to recover, we need to put in place a stronger system of regulation of financial services that will work effectively, without destroying the genuine strengths of the City of London as a financial centre.

It is quite wrong to read across from this into arguments that more regulation is required for everysector of the economy and that direct Government intervention into the conduct of business and industry is now justified. Extensive and pointless regulation remains a problem across the British economy.

I still think that deregulation is required in many areas if we are to have a sufficiently entrepreneurial climate to produce a reasonably strong recovery.

Is it true you insisted that David Cameron leave the Treasury, where he was an adviser to Norman Lamont, when you replaced Lamont in 1992? Why did you get rid of him? GRAHAM SHULMAN, Wigan

David has occasionally teased me by saying that I sacked him when I arrived at the Treasury. In fact, he lost his job there because he was political adviser to Norman Lamont, and when I arrived to replace Norman I already had two special advisers who were coming with me.

I probably lost an excellent Special Advisor and he went straight to another Cabinet minister.

Do you still regret never being Conservative leader? JOHN CARRUTHERS, Liverpool

Yes, but at least I can say that I was a reasonable contender and I have not been remotely traumatised by the experience of failing to make it.

You used to be deputy chairman of British American Tobacco. Do yousee any moral problem with the company expanding in Africa, particularly through targeting young people? Do you feel any shame over working for a company that sells a product that causes cancer? TARA SINCLAIR FROST, Oxford

I am a strong believer in personal responsibility and freedom of choice. British American Tobacco is a responsible company, and I enjoyed working with them.

We only sold cigarettes to adults who were properly informed of the dangers and smoked cigarettes as part of their chosen lifestyle. I find it difficult to believe that there is any cigarette smoker who is not aware of the risks and has not decided that he is prepared to add those risks to the others that are associated with his chosen way of life.

Can you tell us something we wouldn't know about you? RUTH NORMAN, Devizes

I was in the crowd at Wembley when England won the World Cup in 1966. I was near enough to the Russian linesman to be able to join with hundreds of others in giving him my advice on the doubtful goal.

What was your biggest mistake as Chancellor of the Exchequer? LUKE CARTER, Cobham

Sometimes failing to insist on my favourite malt in the glass of whisky which, in those days, the Chancellor traditionally had to hand at the Despatch Box when presenting his Budget to the House of Commons.

Who do you think was the greatest post-war Chancellor? And where would you rank yourself? JOSHUA RICE, Salisbury

I am rather torn between Roy Jenkins and Geoffrey Howe.

Nigel Lawson could have been, but made one or two mistakes at the end. I hope history will judge that I was in the right half of the league table.

Do you like it when you're called a big beast? Which jungle animal do you think you most resemble? KAYE BENJAMIN, Wakefield

I have to admit that I think this has become a bit of a cliché! Most people who make it, however, start comparing me with some variety of bear, although not many bears turn up in the jungle!

My favourite memory of you is when you got wedged in that racing car. Is that a fond memory for you, too? HUGH MARSH, Swindon

I am not too worried about that because I thought it was hilarious myself at the time. I insist that I was not actually too fat to fit. You are horizontal in a single-seat racing car and you need to find footholds in the car to push against to get out. I was quite unable to locate them!