ABSTRACT
John Major emerged as a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative party in 1990, largely unknown in terms of his political philosophy and his capacity for leadership. Opinion polls suggested that he could be as effective as Heseltine in leading the party to victory in the next election, thus undermining the latter's strongest appeal to Conservative MPs. Major responded by setting up a Committee on Standards in Public Life headed by a judge, Lord Nolan, and following publication of its report the Commons voted to ban paid advocacy by MPs and to require disclosure of income earned from services offered as an MP. The publication in 1996 of a critical report by Sir Richard Scott into the actions of junior ministers in deciding guidelines for the export of arms-related equipment to Iraq put further pressure on government. The willingness of Major to address the Northern Irish problem won him praise but little increase in support in the opinion polls.
