IDS to fight on despite vote call

Iain Duncan Smith has announced he is welcoming the chance to face a vote of confidence in his leadership.

Earlier, Conservative Central Office had confirmed that 25 Tory MPs have needed to force a ballot had been reached.

Speaking outside the Tory Party office, Mr Duncan Smith said: "I will absolutely submit my name for a renewed mandate to lead the party to the general election, to lead it to the general election and to win."

Flanked by Michael Ancram, Michael Howard, Oliver Letwin and Theresa May, he told journalists he welcomed the fact that tomorrow the party will have the opportunity to end "this ludicrous leadership speculation".

All of the above have been tipped as possible contenders in a future leadership contest.

Senior backbencher Sir Michael Spicer, who will now call a contest, is expected to put out a statement shortly, his office indicated.

25 names submitted

The confidence vote will be held after tomorrow's meeting of the 1922 Committee. The meeting has been brought forward to 2pm and Mr Duncan Smith will address the backbench MPs at 2.15pm.

It has emerged that Chief Whip Sir Michael Spicer told Mr Duncan Smith shortly after 9.30am today, in a face-to-face meeting at the Commons, that he had received the 25 letters needed to trigger a ballot.

Four backbenchers - including former minister and prominent "moderniser" Francis Maude - have declared publicly that they have sent letters to the chairman of the 1922 Committee Sir Michael Spicer requesting a vote.

And a fifth has confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that he too had added his name to the list of MPs challenging the leader's position.

Deadline set

Mr Duncan Smith last night called on plotters to put up or shut up by Wednesday evening in a bid to bring an end to the crisis.

His dramatic statement seized the initiative following weeks of what he admitted had become a "fever" of speculation.

Majority vote needed

In the vote of confidence, Mr Duncan Smith would then need a simple majority of the votes cast in a secret ballot of his 165 MPs to survive.

Failure to secure that would trigger a leadership contest in which he could not stand. The Tory leader last night suggested he would stay on even if he won any confidence vote among MPs by just one vote.

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