Stop arguing and back Duncan Smith, councillors tell MPs

Tory councillors have backed Iain Duncan Smith to lead the party into the next general election and called on MPs to stop squabbling.

A survey of councillors, conducted by The Independent, found that by a margin of almost 2-1 they believe Mr Duncan Smith was right to issue his challenge for the party to "unite or die". Local councillors play a pivotal role in the Conservative Party and could have an important say in determining Mr Duncan Smith's future. The local government elections next May are seen as a critical test, with many MPs threatening to oust him if the party fails to make progress.

Despite the feverish speculation at Westminster about whether Mr Duncan Smith will survive, the survey showed the councillors regard him overwhelmingly as the best person for the job. Of the 79 councillors questioned on Thursday and yesterday, 59 said Mr Duncan Smith should lead the Tories into the general election, with 12 supporting Kenneth Clarke, five backing Michael Portillo and two for David Davis. (There was one "don't know").

Asked who should succeed Mr Duncan Smith if he were to stand down, 21 said Mr Clarke, the former Chancellor who was runner-up to Mr Duncan Smith in last year's leadership election. Mr Davis, who shadows the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, was in second place with 16 councillors.

Theresa May, the Tory chairman who told the party conference that the Tories were seen as the "nasty party", had nine backers. Mr Portillo won five votes, with one each for Liam Fox, the Shadow Health Secretary; Michael Howard, the Shadow Chancellor; Oliver Letwin, the Shadow Home Secretary and David Willetts, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary. In a sign that the councillors remain loyal to the current leader, 24 of those questioned replied "no one" or "Mr Duncan Smith" when asked who should take over if he quit.

The Tories' town hall representatives are hostile to the idea, floated at Westminster, of MPs agreeing on a "unity candidate" to replace Mr Duncan Smith without causing a divisive leadership election. There has been speculation that Mr Portillo might throw his weight behind Mr Clarke to form a "dream ticket".

But the councillors are in no mood to surrender the right of grassroots members such as themselves to choose the party leader. Sixty one rejected the idea of a "unity candidate" and only 16 backed it. (There were two "don't knows").

Many Tory MPs believe Mr Duncan Smith's unity plea backfired because it provoked a furious dispute with the MPs who rebelled over gay adoption. But councillors took a different view: 48 said he was right to make his personal statement and 31 said he was not.

One of the most striking findings was the strongly-worded views of the councillors about the behaviour of the party's MPs. The comments of several suggest they blame the MPs as much as the leadership for the party's failure to mount a recovery since its second crushing general election defeat last year.

David Stevenson, the Tory group leader on North-west Leicestershire District Council, said: "Some of the back-stabbing we have seen over the last week is the last thing the party needs. Those people currently plotting against him don't have a chance of winning the next general election."

Karen Garrido, the Tory leader on Salford District Council, said: "Can we start fighting the policies rather than fighting amongst ourselves? It's hard enough to be a conservative councillor in an inner city, with a strong labour majority – I am fed up of all this wrangling."

Jim Harker, the leader of the Tories on Northamptonshire County Council, said: "The party in the country is behind Iain Duncan Smith which was demonstrated only a year ago in the leadership election. The parliamentary party should fall in behind him."

Mark Rhine, the leader on Selby District Council, said: "I think this last week was a blip, but he's doing a great job. We should get on with fighting the opposition, rather than fighting amongst ourselves."

Aileen Stanton, the leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, said: "He was elected properly, therefore we should get behind him. I wish people would stop this infighting. Until we get our act together, we aren't going to win."

Some councillors called for party members to be given a choice of more than two candidates if there was a leadership election. Robert Hodge, the leader of Lancashire County Council Conservatives, said: "If a vacancy does arise, the party members should be given more choice. Perhaps three or four candidates rather than the two we were presented with last time."

Additional reporting by Serena Tarling and Tim Paget

Nicky Attenborough, leader of Bedford Borough Council:

"I think those who are backstabbing and backbiting Iain Duncan Smith should be bloody ashamed of themselves. They should backbite against the Government, and not amongst themselves."

Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, leader of Kent County Council:

"We have by far the most democratic voting system among the British political parties. It can be a cumbersome system, but that is the price we pay for being democratic."

Don Phillips, deputy leader of Amersham Council, Buckinghamshire:

"I think the party have missed the opportunity to be more vociferous in condemning ... government policies. They have not taken advantage ... of the mistakes that central government are making."

John Porter, leader of Aberdeen City Council:

"Iain Duncan Smith was elected by the majority. He should be allowed to continue and lead us victoriously into the next election. He was a democratically elected leader and should be allowed to continue as such."