Tory MPs line up to deal death blow to IDS

At least 14 Tory MPs have said that they are prepared to deliver the death blow this week to their struggling leader, Iain Duncan Smith.

Two have gone one step further, and have volunteered to make the first approach to Sir Michael Spicer – who as chairman of the 1922 Committee is guardian of the Tory rule book – to tell him they want a vote of no confidence in the leader; 25 signatures are needed to trigger such a vote.

After a dreadful week for Mr Duncan Smith, precipitated by the sacking of a senior Central Office official, conspirators who had been prepared to wait until May to strike are now wondering if they should mount a coup against him immediately.

One said: "A month ago, you would have found five or six people who would sign a piece of paper [to remove Mr Duncan Smith]. Now the number is up to at least 14. We have now come to the crisis point."

The critical moment for Mr Duncan Smith's shaky position is likely to be Wednesday's meeting of the 1922 committee, the forum through which backbench MPs express their views on the leader's performance.

One member of the 1922 executive is considering suggesting that the party chairman, Theresa May, should be summoned to answer questions. Mrs May is known to have been angry and humiliated when Mr Duncan Smith went behind her back to sack the party's chief executive, Mark MacGregor, in order to strengthen his own grip over Conservative Central Office.

Although Mrs May has vehemently denied rumours that she considered resigning, it is thought that she would have difficulty hiding her anger with Mr Duncan Smith under cross-examination by fellow MPs.

Mr Duncan Smith's allies went onto the attack yesterday, directing their fire mainly at his old rival, Michael Portillo, for his highly damaging allegation that Mr Duncan Smith was surrounding himself with yes-men.

One of the Tory leader's close allies said yesterday that Mr Duncan Smith regarded Mr Portillo's remarks as "self-indulgent to the point of madness". Branding it the "worst time possible for anyone to raise the leadership question", he added: "Since he has put the issue of the leadership centre stage, we have to say this is a serious miscalculation and is not in the interests of the Conservative Party or the country at large."

Tory Chief Whip David Maclean heaped further scorn on Mr Portillo. He said: "I am incandescent that despite the fact that I am running the most modernising whip's office in history of the Tory Party, Michael Portillo and his handful of acolytes are trying to pull the rug from under me and stand sniping from the sidelines. "This is coming from people who don't pull their weight in the Commons."

But other hitherto loyal MPs said that this week's crisis was entirely created by Mr Duncan Smith and his deteriorating relationship with Theresa May, whom he appointed party chairman only last year.

One member of the shadow cabinet admitted that Mr Duncan Smith's "depressing incompetence" could bring his leadership to a quick end

Another MP said despairingly: "He has gone completely mad. There are all sorts of people who want to light a gunpowder trial to blow him up, but he's effectively set light to it himself."

An experienced shadow minister said: "I have never seen the party so rudderless. Issue after issue is being bungled."