LONDON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Former Chancellor Ken Clarke plans to campaign in September for the Tory leadership and ostensibly for prime minister, the Observer reports.
Clarke, 65, told friends he has the "thirst and capacity" to bring the Conservative party back into power and to lead Britain.
His main challengers are 38-year-old shadow education secretary David Cameron and shadow home secretary David Davis. Clarke's apparent strategy is to overtake Cameron early on before taking on the front-runner Davis.
Clarke hopes to attract voters from across party lines.
"My strongest appeal is that I have higher approval ratings than any other contender, higher still among wavering Labour and Lib-Dem voters," he said in a recent interview. "The Lib-Dems are terrified of me."
Clarke has been a critic of the Iraq war, in a break from his party. Both Cameron and Davis support the war.
