UK Tories get Euro choice

LONDON, England -- The final round of the UK Conservative Party's leadership battle is to be fought between a euro-sceptic and a euro-phile.

Euro-friendly Kenneth Clarke won the last round of voting by MPs with shadow defence secretary Iain Duncan Smith securing just five fewer votes for the right to go head-to-head in a vote of the entire party membership.

But Michael Portillo -- the other candidate in Tuesday's vote and favourite to win the leadership when the contest began -- came third, was thrown out of the race and announced his intention to quit frontline politics.

Under party rules, only parliamentary MPs take part in the first rounds of voting and after each poll the candidate with the lowest number of votes is ejected from the race.

Now the field has been cut to two candidates a vote of the full national membership will decide which one will become the new leader, replacing William Hague who announced his resignation after the party's general election defeat in June.

On Tuesday, Clarke pooled 59 votes, Duncan Smith 54 and Portillo 53 with all Tory MPs voting.

Clarke had been considered the outsider because of his pro-European views in a party where a large number are wary of European Union plans.

But he also has a record of serving in Conservative administrations, most notably as Chancellor, or finance minister, in the last Tory government.

After his success on Tuesday Clarke said he was "surprised" to have topped the vote of parliamentary colleagues.

"I thought I would get in the first two, but we all seriously thought it was too close to call. It shows I drew support from a very wide range of the party."

Since the party's election defeat in 1997 Clarke had been content to serve on the backbenches.

His leadership rival was an ever-present in Hague's shadow cabinet first with the social security portfolio and then defence - the post he currently holds.

Duncan Smith said: "This will be a good contest between two Conservatives who share many things in common, but are maybe divided on Europe. I expect and hope now the party will put me in place to lead it."

When the race began -- in the aftermath of a second Labour general election landslide --Portillo was the first person to stand for the leadership and for most of the race has been considered the favourite.

But since the weekend his chances had been diminishing. First he was accused of having attempted to undermine Hague's general election campaign and then his aides were accused of falsely claiming ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher supported his bid.

After being rejected by the parliamentary party he announced he would be stepping down from frontline politics.

"I think the time has come for me to look for other things to do. I really don't think it's an option for me to serve in a shadow administration."

He said he did not "intend ever again" to seek office on the Conservative front bench.

Two other candidates David Davis and Michael Ancram had challenged for the leadership but lost in earlier rounds of voting.