As a former member of John Major's cabinet, Mr Howard reminds voters of a period of Tory government which is best forgotten.

ECONOMIST: British politics

This was the era of the cabinet bastards and the Maastricht rebels, the dying days of John Major's regime as his majority slowly depleted year after year.

BBC: The Tories on Europe - 1990s nostalgia?

Lord Mayhew, a member of John Major's cabinet, now chairs the committee that vets the transfer of senior civil servants to business.

ECONOMIST: The new establishment