Secret Tory meeting planned

Tory MPs hostile to Iain Duncan Smith are planning to meet in secret next Wednesday to decide whether to go for the kill.

They will discuss whether a challenge should be mounted before the end of this month, or whether the Tory leader should be allowed to battle on until the next election.

One MP involved said: "Whether we go for it depends on three things: Iain Duncan Smith's speech tomorrow, the opinion polls over the weekend, and the mood when MPs get back to Westminster next week."

Another said: "We can't let things drag on. There is a window of opportunity between now and Christmas. We have to decide whether to use it."

If the decision is to go ahead, there will be a swift campaign to muster the numbers needed to mount a coup. The rules require 25 MPs - 15 per cent of the party in Parliament - to trigger a vote of confidence.

Mr Duncan Smith himself was defiant today, insisting he would lead his party into the next general election - and win. "I will. I will. I promise you," he said on GMTV.