Oscar winner helps with IDS script

Iain Duncan Smith's secret weapon in turning around the Tory party's fortunes was revealed today - an Oscarwinning scriptwriter.

Julian Fellowes, who received his Oscar award in Hollywood on Sunday for the script of Gosford Park, used his skills to help Mr Duncan Smith fine-tune his speech to the Tory spring conference in Harrogate.

Much of the speech focused on the difficulties facing the poor in Britain today, and on the failures of the health and transport services. However, Mr Fellowes, 52, comes from an aristocratic background. A former pupil of Ampleforth, Mr Fellowes is married to Emma Kitchener, ladyinwaiting to Princess Michael and a descendant of Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. The couple live near Sloane Square.

Gosford Park, with its droll script, explored the relationships between those living above and below-stairs in a country house in the 1930s.

Mr Fellowes is also thought to be a good friend of shadow Northern Ireland secretary Quentin Davies, and once considered standing as a parliamentary candidate.

He has played down his links with Mr Duncan Smith, initially saying that he had nothing to do with his speeches. But Tory party officials have confirmed that he sent the Tory leader some notes as he drafted his speech, seen as a crucial test of how he performs in front of the party faithful.

According to one official, Mr Fellowes's messages included some "Hollywood-class lines".