Cameron labelled dictator as civil war engulfs Tories
PM and Chancellor under fire as fallout from IDS resignation sparks bitter feud
DAVID Cameron was last night struggling to contain a growing Conservative civil war over Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation.
Anger boiled over yesterday as one Tory MP accused the Prime Minister of behaving like a dictator and another openly questioned whether George Osborne should remain Chancellor.
The former work and pensions secretary used his first interview since he dramatically quit on Friday night to accuse the Government of giving the middle classes tax breaks on the backs of the vulnerable and non-Tory voters.
But Mr Duncan Smith became embroiled in an increasingly bitter war of words with Tory MPs, including a minister, who accused him of using welfare cuts confirmed in the Budget as an excuse to resign and campaign for the UK to leave the European Union from outside government.
As the so-called “Blue on Blue” attacks continued, senior Tory figures were even forced to appeal for calm.
Earlier, friends of Mr Duncan Smith had turned their attacks on the Chancellor, claiming his planned £1.3 billion cut to disability payments had left his leadership hopes “dead in the water”.
Many Tory MPs are furious at the proposals, which come just months after Mr Osborne was forced to rethink plans for savage cuts to tax credits.
Mr Duncan Smith insisted he stood down because of a “deeply unfair” decision to cut disability benefits while also offering tax cuts for the well-off.
He also confirmed he considered resigning last year over previous cuts to the welfare budget as he called on ministers to stop focusing on working age benefits.
He said: “Because otherwise it just looks ... (like) it doesn’t matter because they don’t vote for us.”
The former minister insisted his decision to quit was motivated solely by welfare and not the European Union.
But Tory Pensions Minister Ros Altmann attacked him saying his decision “had to be about Europe”.
She also accused her former Cabinet colleague of trying to cause “maximum damage” to the Tory leadership.
Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said she was “perplexed” by his resignation and accused him of launching a “bombshell” at his colleagues.
She also criticised Mr Duncan Smith’s “high moral tone”.
But his fellow Eurosceptic, Employment Minister Priti Patel, came to his defence, saying Mr Duncan Smith had laid out his case with “conviction and dignity”.
As the fallout continued, one Tory MP accused Mr Cameron of behaving like a dictator.
Former minister Bernard Jenkin, who is also an enthusiastic supporter of Brexit, said Number 10 had deliberately tried to “fog the atmosphere” surrounding Mr Duncan Smith’s resignation.
In a scathing attack Mr Jenkin accused Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne of taking their approach to government from “the same playbook as Brown and Blair”.
He said: “You have government departments with secretaries of state running them because they should have responsibility and the Chancellor and the Prime Minister are just part of a team.
“The Prime Minister is ... not meant to be a dictator, the Treasury is not meant to control everything that goes on in government departments.”
Fellow Tory backbencher Heidi Allen also openly suggested Mr Osborne may have to stand down as Chancellor.
Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee, appealed to colleagues to refrain from attacking each other and said that with a majority of 16 they had to work together.
Former defence secretary Liam Fox also called for “calm” and said he found claims Mr Duncan Smith resigned over the EU “a bit offensive”.
Labour called on Mr Osborne to go over the row.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith said: “The Conservative Party is tearing itself apart over an unfair Budget.
“David Cameron and George Osborne’s claim that “we’re all in this together” now lies in tatters.
“No-one will believe Iain Duncan Smith’s sudden change of heart. After all, this is the man who introduced the bedroom tax.
“But what his comments do reveal is growing anger within the Conservative Party about George Osborne’s management of the economy. The Chancellor’s unfair Budget is falling apart at the seams. George Osborne now needs to urgently clarify whether these cuts to disability benefits will go ahead and, if not, how he will make up for the huge hole in his Budget.”
He said the resignation of Mr Duncan Smith was a symptom of a “wider malaise” at the Treasury and Mr Osborne had to go.
Meanwhile, Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, was coming under growing pressure to state her position on the disability benefits cuts.
The SNP, Labour and the Liberal Democrats made the call after Ms Davidson did not rush to express a view on the benefits reductions. She declined to offer a direct opinion on the Personal Independence Payment cuts at the weekend.