WI: No political comeback for Michael Howard

Michael Howard's post 1999 comeback is something of an amazement. First serving as Home Secretary in the Major government, and not a well regarded one at that, he ran for leader of the Conservative party after the drubbing of 1997. His bid was initially thought to do well, until a disastrous interview with Jeremy Paxman regarding the overruling of Derek Lewis, a former prisons officer, and a proverbial character assassination on behalf of Ann Widdecombe. He polled a measly 23 MPs in the end.

He was appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary by the eventual winner, William Hague, but he stepped down in 1999. His political future was widely in question, and he didn't make a go of it when Hague stepped down, until appointed Shadow Chancellor by Iain Duncan Smith. Howard then took over when Smith was knifed by the 1922 Committee.

My question here is; what if Howard never came back to the frontline? There could be a number of possibilities to cause that, many of which I can't think of atm, but I'd be interested to hear anyone's ideas.
 
s-l225.jpg
 
Actually, whoever gets tipped to be IDS' Shadow Chancellor might be the one to rise from his ashes as Howard was iotl. Michael Ancram or David Davis, perhaps?
 
I can't see Ancram - Davis however is a possibility. Though the LDs may get lucky on their decapitation scheme they tried on Howard, with him. After all his majority was tiny in 2001.
 
I can't see Ancram - Davis however is a possibility. Though the LDs may get lucky on their decapitation scheme they tried on Howard, with him. After all his majority was tiny in 2001.
Yes, the infamous decapitation strategy. With a weaker leader at the helm, it's possible that Davis, Letwin, or even May (that one's probably very unlikely, at least) could be picked off, which has some interesting butterflies post 2005. Folkstone and Hythe is probably much closer, depending on who the Tory candidate is and whether or not Howard retires.
 
Yes, the infamous decapitation strategy. With a weaker leader at the helm, it's possible that Davis, Letwin, or even May (that one's probably very unlikely, at least) could be picked off, which has some interesting butterflies post 2005. Folkstone and Hythe is probably much closer, depending on who the Tory candidate is and whether or not Howard retires.

How about Widdecombe then?
 
Top