19 standing ovations 'were stage managed'

Rumours were sweeping the conference hall that Iain Duncan Smith's 19 standing ovations were covertly stage managed.

Observers noticed that a group of young activists seated behind the leader kept jumping to their feet first - encouraging the rest of the packed hall to follow.

Suspicions were aroused because some of them seemed to be continually glancing to their left, to where Mr Duncan Smith's press officer, Richard Chalke, was positioned.

Conspiracy theories were further fuelled because Mr Chalke appeared to be making hand gestures at key moments in the speech, which coincided with the most rapturous ovations.

Mr Chalke denied any shenanigans were behind Mr Duncan Smith's day of glory. "If I was leading it was because it was the best speech I have ever heard," he said.

"I did not need to do anything. You saw them - they just leaped to their feet on their own."

Shadow cabinet member David Willetts also insisted all the applause was spontaneous. "There was a groundswell of support for Iain," he said. Former minister John Redwood appeared to confirm that some of the applause was stage managed because "the architecture of the hall was quite difficult for him".

Mr Duncan Smith's final ovation lasted eight minutes 48 seconds. He bettered Tony Blair at last week's Labour conference, who was given a seven-and-a-half-minute ovation.