Original sentence: A likely candidate to replace Michael Howard as Party leader late in 2005, he has turned the Conservatives away from the Labour Party's plan to reintroduce Identity cards.Davis cited spiralling costs and libertarian issues.He has turned initial Conservative support into one of concern and abstention, making the final change to one of opposition much easier
Edited sentence: A strong candidate to replace Michael Howard as Party leader late in 2005, he has turned the Conservatives away from the Labour Party's plan to reintroduce Identity cards in the weeks after the general election.Critics have scoffed at the idea of Davis opposing ID cards for anything other than political purposes.He then proceeded to turn initial Conservative support into one of concern and abstention, making the final change to one of opposition that much easier.However he has consistently argued against them, arguing unsuccessfully in the Shadow Cabinet the first time they were discussed.Softening his image would make it a lot easier for him to become the next Conservative leader.Though this is supposedly a popular policy, Davis cited spiralling costs and libertarian issues