BUCKINGHAMSHIRE MPs David Lidington (Aylesbury), Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham), and John Bercow (Buckingham) all backed losing candidate Michael Portillo in Tuesday's Conservative leadership vote.

They are now rethinking their positions for the next round when party members make the final decision.

John Bercow, who represents Haddenham voters, probably summed up for the three, saying it was too early to declare for anyone else so soon after the defeat of an MP he had supported so keenly.

He and Mr Lidington was not surprised Mr Portillo came bottom, given the work that went on against him since he had decided to stand.

Mr Lidington said the key criterion to backing a candidate was who would be best able to win back the former Tory voters.

Mr Lidington said voters were not so bothered about honest differences of opinion in the party and would not support a quarrelling party.

Meanwhile, Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield) and Paul Goodman (Wycombe) backed David Davies but transferred their allegiance to Iain Duncan Smith, who came second to Ken Clarke on Tuesday, when Mr Davies withdrew.

Voting papers with Mr Clarke and Mr Duncan Smith's names will go out in the next couple of weeks to all Conservative members in the country provided they joined the party before March and voters will have until September 10 to get their preferences in.

The election is being organised by the Electoral Reform Society and the result will be declared on September 12.

Mr Clarke stood in 1997 losing to William Hague by 70 votes to 92. Party members did not get a vote then, but the feeling in Beaconsfield was pretty evenly split between the two said Philip Dumville, Mr Grieves's agent.

Campaign managers for the two candidates will be working out who will visit where. Mr Duncan Smith is set to come to John Bercow's constituency (Aylesbury) on August 3. He is the son-in-law of the former Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Lord Cottesloe, who lives in Mr Bercow's constituency.

The MP has also invited Mr Clarke.

Mr Lidington said he hoped the candidates would visit, either together or separately.