Institute policy visit to Berlin and the Christian Democrat conference in Hamburg. Conservative Party leadership 1997 On 2 May, John Major resigned as leader of the Conservatives, following the party's crushing defeat and the manoeuvring for his succession began. The Tory Reform Group's parliamentary supporters contained three potential leadership candidates: Michael Heseltine, Ken Clarke and Stephen Dorrell. Pedley and the TRG executive wished to make their office facilities and phone lines available to Heseltine and offered these to Michael Mates MP. However, when Heseltine's heart attack ruled him out, Pedley switched support to Clarke and hosted a meeting between Mates and Clarke at the TRG offices to bring the two camps together. Dorrell decided to back Clarke. Appointment of a national director Pedley attempted to bring to reorganise the TRG on a more professional footing and move the organisation away from youth politics by recruiting Clare Whelan as national director. Pedley entered into negotiations with Michael Welsh of the Conservative Mainstream Group to share resources and promote joint initiatives to secure the group's future. Housing for Wales Deputy chairman Housing for Wales (Tai Cymru) was the Welsh national quango charged with delivering social housing via housing associations throughout Wales. Pedley was appointed to the Board of Housing for Wales by the Secretary of State for Wales, David Hunt MP, and reappointed by John Redwood. He served two terms under the chairman, Sir John Allen CBE, until the organisation was subsumed into the new devolved Assembly Government. Pedley succeeded Jonathan Evans MP as the deputy chairman. Chairman Audit Committee The Housing for Wales budget for social housing operations made it one of the largest in financial terms. For example, in 1991–92 the money allocated for expenditure amounted to £175 million. During his term on the board, Pedley was chairman of the audit committee. Housing for Wales was unaffected by the financial irregularities that affected the other large Welsh quangos – the Welsh Development Agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales and Health Promotion Wales. Right to buy Pedley was a supporter of the 'right to buy' concept of home ownership for disadvantaged families in Wales. Housing for Wales introduced a scheme to give tenants the ability to purchase a property at 70% of its cost, with the remaining 30% funded by an interest-free loan from the housing association. Attacks by Labour The Labour opposition attacked the Conservative spokesmen appointed to quangos