Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins was in the spotlight this week as he delivered a tub-thumping old-Tory speech to the Conservative Party Conference.

Commentators speculated that the Shadow Secretary for Education might even be making a leadership speech as he strayed away from school matters at the podium on Tuesday to delight the Tory faithful with jibes at Europe and promises of a "truly hard" crackdown on crime.

Yet Mr Collins himself dismissed the speculation.

"I keep getting asked this question," he said with a chuckle, adding firmly: "Michael Howard is going to be our leader and is going to be our Prime Minister and I support him."

Asked if he would rule out ever going for the leadership, he declined to be drawn on the issue, referring instead to his previous answer.

Earlier this week, Mr Collins had been vocal on his party's direction following the Hartlepool by-election where the Conservatives were beaten into fourth place by the UK Independence Party.

"The evidence is that the electorate is moving to the right not the left," Mr Collins told the BBC as he reeled off a list of core policies such as opposition to the euro and plans for tighter immigration. "The challenge for the Conservatives is to show that we're the right wing alternative."

His own keynote Conference address was very much to the political right, with a passionate climax denouncing "blind obedience to European laws others ignore" and extolling the value of "friendship across borders" but with "first loyalty to a country called Britain and never, ever to a country called Europe!"

On education Mr Collins promised fairer distribution of schools money between urban and rural areas, an end to student top-up fees in the first week of a Conservative Government and new legal protections for schools.

"School trips are being called off because teachers fear being sued," he said. "But there is hope. There is a better way. In our first year we will give schools new legal protections and teachers immunity against being sued I want to see money provided for schools going to teachers and not to lawyers."

There were further pledges to fund 600,000 extra school places, give an extra £15 billion to schools, make every school grant-maintained, to stop closing special schools, and to give heads the final say in expelling pupils.

Meanwhile, the fate of Lowick New School, near Ulverston, was also featured in Mr Collin's speech to extol the virtues of Tory policy ideas on the right to choose. Lowick, a 16-pupil village primary, was closed by Cumbria County Council to cut spare school places but re-opened by determined supporters in September as an independent not-for-profit charity.

"Today Lowick points the way to the future," enthused Mr Collins. "Under us, every good school which retains parental support will get public funding guaranteed."

The proviso is that funding is only guaranteed as long as the per pupil cost is no higher than at local state schools - yet Lowick cost CCC twice the average amount per child.

However, Mr Collins said the Conservative funding formula would take into account a "rural sparsity factor" and schools like Lowick would certainly see some Government cash under his party's proposals.

Speaking to The Westmorland Gazette after his speech, Mr Collins said the Conservatives could "absolutly win" the next election.

"I think the election is wide open. I'm not going to say we are bound to win but I can't say we won't. There's everything to play for."