Editing Michael Howard (section)

==Member of Parliament==
At the [[1966 United Kingdom general election|1966]] and [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970 general elections]], Howard unsuccessfully contested the safe [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] seat of [[Liverpool Edge Hill]], reinforcing his strong support for [[Liverpool F.C.]] which he has held since childhood.

In June 1982, Howard was selected to contest the constituency of Folkestone and Hythe in [[Kent]] after the sitting Conservative MP, Sir [[Albert Costain]], decided to retire. Howard won the seat at the 1983 general election.

===In Government===
Howard gained quick promotion, becoming [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] at the [[Department of Trade and Industry (United Kingdom)|Department of Trade and Industry]] in 1985 with responsibility for regulating the financial dealings of the City of London. This junior post became very important, as he oversaw the [[Big Bang (financial markets)|Big Bang]] introduction of new technology in 1986. Following the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]], he became Minister for Local Government. Following a proposal from backbench MP [[David Wilshire]], he accepted the amendment which would become [[Section 28]] (prohibiting local governments from the "promotion" of homosexuality) and defended its inclusion.

Howard guided the 1988 Local Government Finance Act through the House of Commons. The act brought in Margaret Thatcher's new system of local taxation, officially known as the [[Community Charge]] but almost universally nicknamed the "poll tax". Howard personally supported the tax and won Thatcher's respect for minimising the rebellion against it within the Conservative Party. After a period as Minister for Water and Planning in 1988–89, during which he was responsible for implementing [[water privatisation]] in England and Wales, Howard was promoted to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Employment in January 1990 following the resignation of [[Norman Fowler]]. He subsequently guided through legislation abolishing the [[closed shop]], and campaigned vigorously for Thatcher in the first ballot of the [[1990 Conservative Party leadership election|1990 Conservative leadership election]], although he told her a day before she resigned that he felt she was not going to win and that John Major was better placed to defeat [[Michael Heseltine]].

He retained his Cabinet post under John Major and campaigned against trade union power during the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]] campaign. His work in the campaign led to his appointment as Secretary of State for the Environment in the reshuffle following the election. In this capacity he encouraged the United States to participate in the [[Earth Summit]] in Rio de Janeiro, but shortly afterwards he was appointed Home Secretary in a 1993 reshuffle precipitated by the sacking of [[Norman Lamont]] as Chancellor.

===Home Secretary===
As Home Secretary he pursued a tough approach to crime, summed up in his sound bite, "prison works". During his tenure as Home Secretary, recorded crime fell by 16.8%.<ref>Channel 4 News, [https://web.archive.org/web/20121024050729/http://www.channel4.com/fc/quote.jsp?id=23 FactCheck: Spoof Howard Cv needs policing]</ref> In 2010 Howard claimed a 45% decrease in crime since a 1993 study by Home Office criminologist Roger Tarling proved that prison worked though the prison population rose from 42,000 to nearly 85,000.  Ken Clarke disagreed, pointing to a 60% recidivism rate amongst newly released prisoners and hinting that factors such as better household and vehicle security and better policing could be influencing crime rates, not just the incapacitation effect of removing offenders to prison.<ref name=alan>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/dec/07/michael-howard-prison-works-analysis|title=Howard is right: 'prison works' – but this is no way to cut crime|author=Alan Travis|work=The Guardian|date=7 December 2010|access-date=29 April 2015|archive-date=9 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709183410/http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/dec/07/michael-howard-prison-works-analysis|url-status=live}}</ref>

Howard repeatedly clashed with judges and prison reformers as he sought to clamp down on crime through a series of 'tough' measures, such as reducing the [[right to silence]] of defendants in their police interviews and at their trials as part of 1994's [[Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994|Criminal Justice and Public Order Act]]. Howard voted for the reintroduction of the [[death penalty]] for the killing of police officers on duty and for murders carried out with firearms in 1983 and 1990.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1990/dec/17/death-penalty-for-murder | title=DEATH PENALTY FOR MURDER (Hansard, 17 December 1990) | access-date=23 February 2019 | archive-date=24 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224001744/https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1990/dec/17/death-penalty-for-murder | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1993, he changed his mind and became opposed to the reintroduction of the death penalty and voted against it again in February 1994.

In 1993, following the [[murder of James Bulger]], two eleven-year-old boys were convicted of his murder and sentenced to be detained [[at Her Majesty's pleasure]], with a recommended a minimum term of eight years. [[Lord Taylor of Gosforth]], the [[Lord Chief Justice]], ordered that the two boys should serve a minimum of ten years.<ref name=odnb >{{cite ODNB|last= Davenport-Hines |first= Richard |title=Bulger, James Patrick (1990–1993), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography| url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/76074|year=2004 |access-date=2 October 2009 |doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/76074 }} (''Subscription Required'')</ref> The editors of ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'' newspaper handed a petition bearing nearly 280,000 signatures to Howard, in a bid to increase the time spent by both boys in custody.<ref name="Guardian03Mar2010">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/mar/03/james-bulger-case-venables-thompson |title=James Bulger killing: the case history of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson |date=3 March 2010 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709061058/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/03/james-bulger-case-venables-thompson |archive-date=9 July 2013 }} ''The Guardian'' (London) 3 March 2010.</ref> This campaign was successful, and the boys were kept in custody for a minimum of fifteen years,<ref name=Guardian03Mar2010 /><ref name="BBC3008191">{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3008191.stm |title=New sentencing rules: Key cases |date=7 May 2003 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=11 March 2010|archive-date=30 July 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040730061644/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3008191.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> meaning that they would not be considered for release until February 2008, by which time they would be 25 years of age.<ref name=odnb />

A former [[Master of the Rolls]], [[John Donaldson, Baron Donaldson of Lymington|Lord Donaldson]], criticised Howard's intervention, describing the increased tariff as "institutionalised vengeance ... [by] a politician playing to the gallery".<ref name=odnb /> The increased minimum term was overturned in 1997 by the [[House of Lords]], which ruled it was substantively ''[[ultra vires]]'', and therefore "unlawful", for the Home Secretary to decide on minimum sentences for young offenders.<ref name=bbc_outrage>{{Cite news|title=Outrage at call for Bulger killers' release|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/492487.stm|publisher=BBC|date=28 October 1999|access-date=12 July 2012|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222181631/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/492487.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] and [[European Court of Human Rights]] have since ruled that, though Parliament may set minimum and maximum terms for individual categories of crime, it is the responsibility of the trial judge, with the benefit of all the evidence and argument from both prosecution and defence counsel, to determine the minimum term in individual criminal cases.<ref name=BBC3008191 />

====Controversies====
Howard's reputation was damaged on 13 May 1997 when a critical inquiry into a series of prison escapes was published. Howard denied responsibility for the [[Prison Service]]'s operations and laid the blame with Director General [[Derek Lewis (administrator)|Derek Lewis]], who was sacked.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mills|first=Heather|date=20 October 1995|title=Prison drama ends in political farce|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/prison-drama-ends-in-political-farce-1578591.html|work=The Independent|access-date=7 July 2024}}</ref> Lewis sued the Home Office for [[wrongful dismissal]] and alleged that Howard had regularly interfered with the service's operations, citing an instance in which Howard put "extreme and unjustified pressure" on him to suspend the governor of [[Parkhurst Prison]] (threatening to overrule him if he did not).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Webster|first1=Philip|last2=Ford|first2=Richard|date=19 October 1995|title=Howard ready to come out fighting as Lewis sues|url=
https://archive.org/details/NewsUK1995UKEnglish/Oct%2019%201995%2C%20The%20Times%2C%20%2365402%2C%20UK%20%28en%29|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=7 July 2024}}</ref> In a television interview on ''[[Newsnight]],'' [[Jeremy Paxman]] asked Howard whether he had in fact threatened to overrule Lewis, posing the question "Did you threaten to overrule him?" twelve times. Howard repeatedly said that he "did not instruct him", ignoring the "threaten" part of the question.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/3094255.stm |title=Newsnight – Jeremy Paxman biography |work=BBC News |date=10 October 2006 |access-date=17 April 2010 |archive-date=12 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912033415/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/3094255.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Paxman asked him again in another interview in 2004. Howard responded: "Oh come on, Jeremy, are you really going back over that again? As it happens, I didn't. Are you satisfied now?" Secret Home Office papers partially vindicated Howard, but show that Howard asked a top civil servant if he had the power to overrule Lewis.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/mar/02/ukcrime.freedomofinformation |title=Secret Home Office papers on prison row fail to clear Howard |date=2 March 2005 |first=Alan |last=Travis |location=London |work=The Guardian |access-date=15 December 2016 |archive-date=4 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404045801/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/mar/02/ukcrime.freedomofinformation |url-status=live }}</ref>

Shortly after the 1997 ''Newsnight'' interview, [[Ann Widdecombe]], his former minister of state at the Home Office, made a statement in the House of Commons about the dismissal of Derek Lewis and remarked of Howard that there is "[[something of the night about him]]".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sengupta|first1=Kim|last2=Abrams|first2=Fran|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/widdecombe-goes-for-the-jugular-1261224.html?amp|title=Widdecombe goes for the jugular|work=The Independent|date=12 May 1997|access-date=3 April 2017|archive-date=3 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403194601/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/widdecombe-goes-for-the-jugular-1261224.html?amp|url-status=live}}</ref> This much quoted comment is thought to have contributed to the failure of his 1997 bid for the Conservative Party leadership, including by Howard and Widdecombe and led to him being caricatured as a vampire, in part due to his Romanian ancestry.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8435904.stm|title=Ann Widdecombe 'tested out' Howard quip|work=BBC News|date=31 December 2009|access-date=3 April 2017|archive-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108112244/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8435904.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Crick|first=Michael|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/mission-accomplished-how-howard-was-knifed-757lktbmgdt|title='Mission accomplished': how Howard was knifed|work=[[The Times]]|date=30 March 2005|access-date=3 April 2017|archive-date=6 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906134657/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mission-accomplished-how-howard-was-knifed-757lktbmgdt|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}} Extract from Crick's book ''In search of Michael Howard''.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Holland|first1=David|title=Interview with a Vampire|url=http://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2011/05/03/interview-with-a-vampire-2630|work=The Tab|date=3 May 2011|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104163735/http://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2011/05/03/interview-with-a-vampire-2630|url-status=live}}</ref> Such characterisations caused discontent among some members of Britain's Jewish community.

In 1996 Howard, as Home Secretary, ordered the release of [[John Haase (criminal)|John Haase]] and Paul Bennett with [[Pardon#United Kingdom|royal pardons]] after 10 months of their 18-year prison sentences for heroin smuggling, after they had provided information leading to the seizure of firearms. In 2008 Haase and Bennett were convicted of having set up the weapons finds to earn them their release, and sentenced to 20 and 22 years in prison respectively.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Summers |first1=Chris |title=How a home secretary was hoodwinked |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7671946.stm |access-date=19 November 2008 |work=BBC News |archive-date=17 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417051159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7671946.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===First attempt to win party leadership===
Following the [[1997 Conservative Party leadership election|1997 resignation]] of John Major, Howard and [[William Hague]] ran on the same ticket, with Howard as leader and Hague as Deputy Leader and Party Chairman. The day after they agreed this, Hague decided to run on his own. Howard also stood but his campaign was marred by attacks on his record as Home Secretary.

Howard came in last out of five candidates with the support of only 23 MPs in the first round of polling for the leadership election. He then withdrew from the race and endorsed the eventual winner, William Hague. Howard served as Shadow Foreign Secretary for the next two years but retired from the [[Shadow cabinet]] in 1999, though continued as a backbench MP.

===Leader of the Opposition===
{{see also|Shadow Cabinet of Michael Howard}}
Following the Conservative defeat at the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]], Howard was recalled to frontline politics when the Conservative Party's new leader, [[Iain Duncan Smith]], appointed him Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. His performances in the post won him much praise; indeed, under his guidance, the Conservatives decided to debate the economy on an 'Opposition Day' for the first time in several years. After Duncan Smith was removed from the leadership, Howard was elected unopposed as leader of the party in November 2003.

As leader, he faced much less discontent within the party than any of his three predecessors and was seen as a steady hand. He avoided repeating such managerial missteps as Duncan Smith's firing of [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]] as Conservative Party Chairman and imposed discipline quickly and firmly: for example, he removed the party whip from [[Ann Winterton]] after she joked about the deaths of 23 Chinese [[Illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]]. In the lead up to the 2005 election campaign, Howard continued to impose strong party discipline, controversially forcing the deselection of at least four candidates. [[Danny Kruger]] was made to resign in [[Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)|Sedgefield]] after he said that the Conservatives "plan to introduce a period of creative destruction in the public services". He was later selected and elected as the Conservative MP for [[Devizes (UK Parliament constituency)|Devizes]] in [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-03-15 |title=Tory candidate quits over remark |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4352425.stm |access-date=2024-07-25 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Robert Oulds and Adrian Hilton were successively sacked as candidates for [[Slough (UK Parliament constituency)|Slough]]–Oulds after he was photographed with a number of firearms and dubbed a "Tory gun nut" by ''The Sun''; and Hilton after a piece he wrote for ''The Spectator'' in 2003 came to public attention, in which he claimed that "a Catholic EU will inevitably result in the subjugation of Britain's Protestant ethos to Roman Catholic social, political and religious teaching".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tempest |first=Matthew |last2=Happold |first2=Tom |date=2005-03-04 |title=Catholic church condemns Tory 'conspiracy theorist' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/mar/04/election2005.uk |access-date=2024-07-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Most prominently, incumbent MP and then-[[Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party]] [[Howard Flight]] was deselected in [[Arundel and South Downs]], for a speech at a [[Conservative Way Forward]] meeting that suggested that the Conservatives would make much greater spending cuts than they promised in their manifesto, if they won the election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/mar/28/conservatives.politicalcolumnists|title=The brutal world of Spin Doctor Who|author=Peter Preston|work=The Guardian|date=28 March 2005|access-date=29 August 2015|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305032430/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/mar/28/conservatives.politicalcolumnists|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Happold |first=Tom |date=2005-04-06 |title=Flight gives up the fight |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/apr/06/election2005.uk7 |access-date=2024-07-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In February 2004, Howard called on then-Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] to resign over the Iraq War, for failing to ask "basic questions" regarding [[Weapon of mass destruction|WMD]] claims and misleading Parliament.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3460771.stm|date=5 February 2004|title=Howard calls for Blair to resign|work=BBC News|access-date=28 August 2004|archive-date=9 July 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040709222940/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3460771.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> In July, the Conservative leader stated that he would not have voted for the motion that authorised the Iraq War had he known the quality of intelligence information on which the WMD claims were based. At the same time, he said he still believed in the Iraq invasion was right because "the prize of a stable Iraq was worth striving for".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3910371.stm|date=20 July 2004|title=At-a-glance Iraq debate|work=BBC News|access-date=28 August 2004|archive-date=26 July 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040726195614/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3910371.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> However, Howard's criticism of Blair was not received favourably in Washington, D.C., where President of the United States [[George W. Bush]] refused to meet him. Bush's advisor [[Karl Rove]] reportedly told Howard, "you can forget about meeting the president. Don't bother coming."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3608006.stm|date=28 August 2004|title=Howard hits out at Bush aides|work=BBC News|access-date=28 August 2004|archive-date=29 August 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040829065553/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3608006.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Howard was named 2003 Parliamentarian of the Year by ''[[The Spectator]]'' and Zurich UK. This was in recognition of his performance at the dispatch box in his previous role as Shadow Chancellor. However, twelve months after he became party leader, neither his personal popularity nor his party's with the public had risen appreciably in opinion polls from several years before.

Howard was part of discussions for [[British Airways]] to resume flights to Pakistan in 2003, this was until their final departure in 2008 the only European airline serving the nation.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.news24.com/World/News/BA-flies-back-to-Pakistan-20031202|title = BA flies back to Pakistan|date = 2 December 2003|access-date = 30 August 2018|archive-date = 30 August 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180830142300/https://www.news24.com/World/News/BA-flies-back-to-Pakistan-20031202|url-status = live}}</ref>

====Further Newsnight treatment====
In November 2004, ''[[Newsnight]]'' again concentrated on Howard with coverage of a campaign trip to Cornwall and an interview with Jeremy Paxman. The piece, which purported to show that members of the public could not identify Howard and that those who recognised him did not support him, was the subject of an official complaint from the Conservative Party. The complaint argued that the ''Newsnight'' team spoke only to people who held opinions against either Michael Howard or the Conservatives and that Paxman's style was bullying and unnecessarily aggressive. In this programme, Paxman also returned to [[#Controversies|his question from 1997]]. Howard returned briefly to ''Newsnight'' on Jeremy Paxman's final episode on 18 June 2014 for a cameo.

====2005 general election====
At the 2005 general election, Howard's Conservative Party suffered a third consecutive defeat, although the Conservatives gained 33 seats (including five from the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]) and Labour's majority shrank from 167 to 66. The Conservatives were left with 198 seats to Labour's 355. The Conservative share of the national vote increased by 0.6% from 2001 and 1.6% from 1997. The party ended with 32.4% of the total votes cast, which was within 3% of Labour on 35.2%.

The day after the election, Howard stated in a speech in the newly gained Conservative seat in [[Putney (UK Parliament constituency)|Putney]] that he would not lead the party into the next general election as, already aged 63, he would be "too old" by that stage, and that he would stand down "sooner rather than later", following a revision of the Conservative leadership electoral process. Despite Labour winning a third term in government, Howard described the election as "the beginning of a recovery" for the Conservative Party following Labour's landslide victories in 1997 and 2001.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4521941.stm | work=BBC News | title=Howard will stand down as leader | date=6 May 2005 | access-date=19 December 2011 | archive-date=16 May 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516034013/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4521941.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>

Howard's own constituency of Folkestone and Hythe had been heavily targeted by the Liberal Democrats as the most sought after prize of their failed "decapitation" strategy of seeking to gain seats from prominent Conservatives. Yet Howard almost doubled his majority to 11,680, while the Liberal Democrats saw their vote fall.

====Criticism of 2005 campaign====
During the 2005 general election campaign, Howard was criticised by some commentators for conducting a campaign which addressed the issues of [[immigration]], [[asylum seeker]]s, and [[Nomad|travellers]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tempest |first1=Matthew |title=Howard calls for asylum cap |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/jan/24/asylum.immigrationasylumandrefugees |access-date=18 November 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=24 January 2005 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McSmith |first1=Andy |title=Howard stirs race row with attack on Gypsies |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/howard-stirs-race-row-with-attack-on-gypsies-529230.html |access-date=18 November 2022 |work=The Independent |date=20 March 2005 |language=en}}</ref> Others{{Like whom?|date=November 2022}} noted that the continued media coverage of such issues created most of the controversy and that Howard merely defended his views when questioned at unrelated policy launches.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Some evidence suggested that the public generally supported policies proposed by the Conservative Party when they were not told which party had proposed them, indicating that the party still had an image problem. Conservative John Major's 30% lead in 1992 amongst the sought after [[NRS social grade|ABC1]] voters (professionals) had all but disappeared by 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.progressives.org.uk/magazine/Default.asp?action=magazine&articleid=920 |title=News and debate from the progressive community |website=progressives.org.uk|date=20 April 2018 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Progressives.org.uk. Retrieved on 15 August 2013.{{dead link|date=July 2016}}</ref>

The campaign focus on immigration may have been influenced by Howard's election adviser [[Lynton Crosby]], who had run similar tactics in Australian elections earlier.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.safecom.org.au/2005/04/lynton-crosby-globetrotting-spreading.htm|date=18 April 2005|work=Fixing Australia|title=Lynton Crosby globetrotting, spreading dirty dog whistles|access-date=7 May 2005|archive-date=22 June 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050622045503/http://www.safecom.org.au/2005/04/lynton-crosby-globetrotting-spreading.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Crosby was later re-hired by the Conservative Party to run their successful campaign in the [[2008 London mayoral election]].{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

===Resignation===
Despite his impending resignation following the 2005 general election, Howard performed a substantial reshuffle of the party's front bench in which several rising star MPs were given their first shadow portfolios, including [[George Osborne]] and [[David Cameron]]. This move cleared the way for David Cameron (who had worked for Howard as a Special Advisor when the latter was Home Secretary) to run for the Conservative Party leadership.

The reforms to the party's election process took several months and Howard remained in his position for six months following the election. During that period, he enjoyed a fairly pressure-free time, often making joking comparisons between himself and [[Tony Blair]], both of whom had declared they would not stand at the next general election. He also oversaw Blair's first parliamentary defeat, when the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats and sufficient [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] rebels voted against [[Terrorism Act 2006|government proposals to extend to 90 days the period that terror suspects could be held for without charge]]. Howard stood down as Leader in December 2005 and was replaced by David Cameron.