PRESSURE was put on the Prime Minister yesterday to name the deeply

reluctant Mr Michael Heseltine as the next Conservative party chairman

in succession to Sir Norman Fowler.

Right-wingers are determined to head off Employment Secretary David

Hunt, thought to be Mr Major's first choice for the job, as too left

wing and too keen on Europe.

Former chairman and Home Secretary Kenneth Baker made a powerful pitch

for Mr Heseltine in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He

said: ''What is needed now is a wartime chairman.

''The person has to be in the Cabinet, he has to be in the House of

Commons. He has to be a street fighter. He has to be combative and he

has to be a drum major. The one who most fulfils that role would

certainly be Michael Heseltine.''

Mr Baker indicated he thought Mr Hunt's style was too similar to Mr

Major's for a creative partnership. ''In a way, it's a bit like the

Hollywood movie. You need a hard cop and a soft cop and the party

chairman has to be the hard cop over the next two or three years.''

He said Mr Major should have no fears about Mr Heseltine using the job

for a leadership challenge on his own behalf.

Mr Heseltine again made it clear yesterday that he prefered to remain

President of the Board of Trade and it could be difficult for the Prime

Minister to draft him against his wishes.

Scottish Secretary Ian Lang has been mentioned as a possibility.

However, with a lack of Scots Tory MPs, he is almost impossible to move.

Employment Minister Michael Forsyth, who attracted much internal

opposition as party chairman, appears an unlikely successor, while the

appointment of a peer, such as present Minister of State Lord Fraser

would provoke uproar among the Opposition parties.

The shortage of Scots Tory back benchers also makes it difficult to

promote one of the under-secretaries, although all are experienced

Ministers.