Assembly: The Tories are looking to the next elections

However, four months after that failure, the Tories are looking ahead to their next encounter with the voters - the Welsh Assembly elections in May 2003.

Their Assembly leader Nick Bourne announced a policy review at last year's party conference.

On Monday, as Tory delegates meet in Blackpool at a conference shortened by the international situation, he will launch another one.

The party's eight assembly members will hold a meeting on the conference fringe to thrash out fresh ideas.

Mr Bourne, who supported former Tory Chancellor Ken Clarke in the recent leadership election, said the Tories can unite behind their new leader.

However, Iain Duncan Smith is much further to the right than his Assembly counterpart.

Devolution debate

Meanwhile, devolution has been wiped off the Conservative conference agenda after the party cut its annual gathering by a day in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States.

Party members in Blackpool had been scheduled to debate "devolution, diversity and decentralisation" on Thursday morning.

But the agenda has been rewritten after the Tories decided to close the conference on Wednesday.

Other topics have been rescheduled but the devolution debate has fallen victim to the new schedule.