David Cameron intends to give shadow foreign secretary William Hague a leading role in national as well as international affairs, it has been reported.
Mr Cameron said he plans to use Mr Hague's experience as a former Conservative Party leader on the front line in the upcoming election battle with Labour.
The move comes after it was revealed the Tories had regained their double-digit lead over Labour as Gordon Brown's credit crunch driven bounce stalled.
Speaking to The Sun in a joint interview with Mr Hague, the Tory leader said: "William is effectively my deputy in all but name and people need to know that. I have been in this job for three years. William did it for four.
"He has seen the pitfalls and is a very wise counsel. It's a good relationship. It has worked extremely strongly.
"There's a real opportunity as we go into an election year of William actually carrying a lot of the message to the country, as well as doing the foreign affairs stuff."
Mr Cameron refused to be drawn on speculation he was planning to bring former chancellor Ken Clarke back into the shadow cabinet, saying: "I have had lots of conversations with Ken because I have brought together the Conservative family in a way it hasn't been for a very long time.
"...The Conservative Party position on Europe is settled. Everyone knows that."
Mr Hague, who led the Conservative Party from 1997 to 2001 and has acted as Mr Cameron's unofficial deputy, insisted his expanded mandate would not pose any threat to shadow chancellor George Osborne.
Of his new role, Mr Hague said: "Normally, relations between senior politicians are fraught and tense. I have been motivated to take this on because of a quite different atmosphere I have experienced."
