Kenneth Clarke: I want to be Prime Minister

The former chancellor Kenneth Clarke refused to rule out running for the Tory leadership last night when he accused his party of being "too restrained" in attacking Labour.

Appearing in a half-hour television special on Channel 5 News, Mr Clarke, 62, said he didn't think the Conservatives would need another leader before the next general election. He also denied having spoken to the former defence secretary Michael Portillo about a possible "dream ticket" to replace Iain Duncan Smith.

But Mr Clarke said his ambition to lead the Tories had not dimmed and jokingly claimed that he was "only half-way" through his political career. The party should attack the Government on the economy, Iraq and Europe, he said.

The MP for Rushcliffe since 1970 insisted he was not plotting against Mr Duncan Smith. Speculation about a Clarke leadership bid was revived this week when Lord Heseltine issued a public call through The Independent for Tory MPs to unseat the leader and replace him with his former cabinet colleague. Mr Clarke said the intervention by the former deputy prime minister was an "irritation" and a mild embarrassment.

Mr Clarke, who was twice defeated for the leadership, said: "The fact I have twice tried to get elected to the office shows I am quite keen on it. I am not going to rule myself out. But so long as Iain stays there I am doing nothing to remove him and nothing to destabilise him. Of course I would like to be Prime Minister ... I'm damned if I'm going to say I shall never do it now."