Fury over IDS 'hate campaign'

The venom in the Tory Party over the leadership boiled over today as shadow cabinet minister Liam Fox accused the plotters of waging a personal hate campaign against Iain Duncan Smith.

"There doesn't seem to be any alternative policy, any alternative ideology, any alternative philosophy," Dr Fox complained. "This seems to be purely about personality."

Acknowledging that a "number of disgruntled ex-employees of the party and a number of Members of Parliament" were out to destabilise the leadership, Dr Fox went on: "The question for them is, are they in politics for the good of the party or are they in politics for themselves?"

Mr Duncan Smith himself was braced for a decision by the parliamentary watchdog, Sir Philip Mawer on whether to launch a full-scale investigation into claims that he misused taxpayers' money to make payments to his wife.

A spokesman for Sir Philip, Westminster's Standards Commissioner, said that a judgment would be made in the next few days on whether there is enough evidence to mount an inquiry into the allegations - which Mr Duncan Smith has strongly denied. But senior figures in the Conservative Party this afternoon said they were virtually certain that a full investigation would go ahead.

A separate civil war appeared to be under way in the party's Central Office HQ as the Conservatives' deputy director, Vanessa Gearson, waited to hear whether she faces disciplinary action.

Ms Gearson was reported to have sent an internal email last January warning over Betsy Duncan Smith's employment as her husband's secretary. Mrs Duncan Smith was said to have received up to £18,000 of taxpayers money covering the first 15 months of her husband's stint as party leader.

One dossier sent to Sir Philip is from investigative reporter Michael Crick. It is said to contain detailed evidence of widespread concern about the arrangements.

The other document is a full account of Mrs Duncan Smith's employment details from the Tory high command.

The party's deputy leader, Michael Ancram, says he is confident Sir Philip will find that a comprehensive denial of any wrongdoing - made by Mr Duncan Smith through his lawyers yesterday - is correct.

But Mr Ancram may also have rekindled the embers of plotting against the Opposition leader.

He told Radio 4's Today programme that MPs should ask why the allegations had surfaced just over a week ago - suggesting they were part of a deliberate and "malicious" attempt to "subvert" the Tory party conference.

The immediate threat to Mr Duncan Smith's leadership had appeared to be receding as MPs prepared to return to Westminster tomorrow.

There is no sign that the factions backing his various rivals have been able to strike a deal.

Former cabinet minister Lord Tebbit rode to Mr Duncan Smith's aid, describing those causing trouble for him as "a bunch of extremists". But most of them "won't come out from under their flat stones".Mr Duncan Smith's allies were heartened by a YouGov poll in the Mail on Sunday which put Tory support at 38 per cent, five points ahead of Labour.

That is out of line with the trend in earlier polls, which have shown the Conservatives level-pegging at the vesy best.