Sir Edward Heath has sparked a fresh row in Tory ranks with a claim that the Conservatives need to lose the coming general election.

Sir Edward, a former Tory prime minister, said a second election defeat would push the party back towards the political centreground.

His comments as the Conservatives face a fresh round of poor opinion polls, putting Labour between 15 and 28 points ahead.

Calling on the Conservatives to "broaden the whole approach", Sir Edward argues that only by moving back to the centre can the Tories win a majority in the House of Commons.

He also warned that the party may have to wait many years before it will be able to return to government.

In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, Sir Edward says: "We have undoubtedly got an enormous job but it's very seldom that a party in opposition can come back in one go. I have found that if some project is defeated you have to wait 15 or 20 years before getting it through."

Sir Edward, who is standing down from the Commons at this election but will not go to the House of Lords, said he would vote Conservative at the coming election despite recently dismissing William Hague as a "laughing stock".