Former Conservative leader William Hague sounded as though he meant it yesterday when he told Radio 4 presenter Sue Lawley that he was now having the time of his life.

Speaking on the BBC's Desert Island Discs, the Richmond MP said: "I'm having the nicest time I have had for a long time.

"There are many things I have always wanted to do like play the piano - I started to learn to do that the day after the election."

Of the General Election defeat in June, Mr Hague said he knew at the turn of the year that the Conservatives would not win.

"They elected Labour for more than four years and have therefore given them the benefit of the doubt," he said. "I just don't think they wanted to listen to the Conservative message."

Although he recognised he is young enough for another assault on the greasy pole of British politics, Mr Hague was adamant his ambitions were now more personal.

"I've done that now," he said. "I've been leader of the party and got that T-shirt, if you like.

"I'm enjoying having a change. I enjoyed being leader of the Conservative Party - but now I'm enjoying not being leader."

Although he said he would take "a lot of persuading" to return to front-line politics, he did admit: "You can't see for ever into the future."

Mr Hague was upbeat about the chances of his successor, Iain Duncan Smith. "He has a feel for common sense," he said.

Mr Hague, whose choices of music included Frank Sinatra's recording of That's Life and a male voice choir singing Land Of My Fathers, admitted his media image had helped to scupper his election chances.

But he insisted the infamous wearing of a baseball cap, judo lessons and rides at a theme park had been the real William Hague, not publicity stunts.