Steven Norris: He's got a big mouth. And intends to use it

Steven Norris could be the most important Conservative 18 months from now – or he could be a person of no political standing at all. It all depends on happens when Ken Livingstone runs for re-election as Mayor of London in 2004.

Visitors to last week's Labour conference in Blackpool were struck by the level of pessimism there about their chances of retaking what is, by normal demographic standards, a Labour city.

Labour is in the process of selecting a candidate, with the most likely choice being the former Arts minister, Tony Banks. Mr Livingstone hopes the party will select the current deputy mayor, Nicky Gavron.

With the Liberal Democrats expected to run a strong candidate in Simon Hughes, the popular and long-serving MP for Bermondsey, the anti-Tory vote could fracture, and Mr Livingstone's people privately concede that the Tories might win. If they did, it would their most significant electoral gain since 1992, and the new Mayor of London would wield more power than any Conservative politician has since Tony Blair entered Downing Street.

Mr Norris is also convinced the Tories could win, but only if they run a candidate who will speak for London instead of coming across as a party apparatchik. The name that obviously springs to his mind is Steven Norris. He is a man of many qualities, but modest he ain't.

Tomorrow, Mr Norris will be heading to Bournemouth, where he will speak at what will probably be the week's most crowded fringe meeting, on the opening night of the Conservative Party conference. People will come to hear him exercise that independence of mind which he says is essential in a prospective London Mayor. In particular, Mr Norris has become the scourge of "blue-rinse" Conservatism, which wants to elevate personal morality into a political principle.

He is not only scathing about the die-hard Thatcherites, but is also pretty direct in his attacks on the new line on policies for the family being enunciated by Iain Duncan Smith and David Willetts.

Mr Duncan Smith has attacked what he calls Mr Blair's "moral neutrality", to which Mr Norris retorts: "Moral neutrality is very much closer to where I am than what I think the Conservative line now is.

"Let's be clear about this. I, personally, am married. Indeed, my enthusiasm for marriage is such that I have done it twice, but for those for whom staying married is not an appropriate choice, or who choose not to marry, the children of their relationships should not in any way be disadvantaged."

Asked about a recent speech by Mr Willetts, the Tory spokesman on Work and Pensions, which revived the idea of tax incentives to encourage couples to marry, Mr Norris said: "I just wouldn't go there at all, not if it means by implication that the children of unmarried parents, or single parents, are disadvantaged.

"The issue is whether or not you believe it's right to inflict the consequences of your moral view of marriage on the children of these relationships, who are surely innocent."

It was scarcely necessary to ask whether he agrees with his party leader over Section 28, the rule – which Mr Duncan Smith wants to preserve – barring local authorities from using public money to "promote" homosexuality. Mr Norris has opposed it from the day it was first introduced by a Conservative government. He was asked anyway, and was predictably succinct.

"It is a token for those Conservatives who believe that homosexuality is evidence of a lack of moral fibre, which I believe is not only wrong, but offensive, homophobic nonsense."

He also unimpressed by Iain Duncan Smith's handling of the Iraq crisis, during which the Tory leader has backed the Government, almost without equivocation, leaving it to the Liberal Democrats and to Labour and Tory dissenters to raise the awkward questions.

"In all these areas, there was a role for the Opposition leader, to articulate the feelings of many people across the country, of all political persuasions and none who are deeply concerned about the consequences of a war."

Views like these have made Mr Norris probably more popular outside the Tory party than within.

Yet, for all his libertarian social views, he cannot accurately be described as a "left-wing" Tory, like Ken Clarke. He backed Michael Portillo in last year's leadership election, and now claims to be delighted that Mr Duncan Smith has turned out "more Portillista than Portillo". On the euro, he says that the UK should never join, whatever the circumstances.

Mr Norris is what used to be known as a capitalist fat cat. As we spoke, he was heading to Bristol to address a meeting of the Institute of Directors, and proudly pointed out that his train was on time. The train operator was First Group, which also runs a London bus service whose chairman is Steven Norris.

He is loathed by part of the Conservative right, not for his politics, but because he rocketed to fame as a junior minister for having cheated on his wife five times.

Three years ago, a group of powerful women in the London Conservative Party had him excluded from the list of potential candidates in the London mayoralty election – apparently preferring Jeffrey Archer. Mr Norris's supporters fear that some in the Tory party will again find a way to keep his name off the ballot paper.

"They know that we can win, and know that that would be probably the most significant win that the Tories are likely to have for some time,'' Mr Norris said.

"I haven't the slightest desire to re-enter Parliament, and part of the freedom that being apart from Parliament gives you is the freedom to speak as you feel."

Biography

1945 born Liverpool. Educated Liverpool Institute; Worcester College, Oxford (law).

Late 1960s on Business career (used cars).

1977-85 County councillor, Berkshire.

Deputy leader, Conservative group. Vice-chairman, West Berkshire District Health Authority.

1983-87 Conservative MP, Oxford East.

1988 Wins Epping Forest by-election. (Stands down in 1997.)

1994-96 Minister for Local Transport (London) and Road Safety. Establishes National Cycling Strategy.