THE Conservative leadership election teetered on the brink of farce last night as Miss Ann Widdecombe - would-be scourge of the former Home Secretary, Mr Michael Howard denied having been wooed with flowers, chocolates and dinners by the sacked prisons chief, Mr Derek Lewis.
It was the latest twist in the row between the erstwhile colleagues after Miss Widdecombe's opening broadside in which she said the former Home Secretary had "something of the night" about him.
Miss Widdecombe blew her top and challenged her former boss, who is a contender for the party leadership, to substantiate or withdraw the suggestions emanating from his camp, after she had announced she would seek permission of the Commons Speaker to make a formal statement about Mr Howard's conduct as Home Secretary in the last government.
The former prisons minister admitted she and Mr Howard had a "severe disagreement" over his proposal to dismiss the then Di-rector General of the Prisons Service following the 1995 Parkhurst Prison break-out. Mr Howard eventually sacked Mr Lewis, after he refused to resign in the wake of Sir John Learmont's report into the escape. But as she described once having been "bawled out" of Mr Howard's office, Miss Widdecombe denied having been swayed by her personal dislikes.
Last weekend Miss Widdecombe sensationally accused Mr Howard of having misled the House of Commons about the events leading to Mr Lewis's dismissal. That was swiftly followed by the announcement that Mr Charles Wardle, another former minister who served under Mr Howard, would seek a Commons debate on the Department of Trade and Industry inspectors' report on the takeover of House of Fraser by Mr Mohammed Al Fayed. The report was said to have led to a serious clash between Mr Wardle and Mr Howard over the application of Mr Fayed's brother for British citizenship.
And yesterday Miss Widdecombe returned to the fray, saying she would withdraw her endorsement of Mr Peter Lilley if he was embarrassed by her renewed attacks on Mr Howard, and her plan to consult the Speaker.
Miss Widdecombe defended her honour and dismissed "disgusting", smears and "demonstrable lies" she believed emanated from Mr Howard's campaign supporters. To the suggestion that she had defended Mr Lewis after being "wooed" with dinners, flowers and chocolates, Miss Widdecombe said she had only ever dined with Mr Lewis months after his dismissal. And as for the chocolates, Miss Widdecombe said: "Nobody woos me with chocolates because my friends think I'm far too round already.