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| Iain Duncan Smith resignation sparks Tory civil war - live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.11pm GMT | |
| 12:11 | |
| IDS is clearly incensed by speculation his resignation is about Europe. | |
| I am not in anyway restrained on Europe. If I was restrained that might have had some logic but I am not. | |
| I haven’t spoken about Europe for ten years. I’m in government because I care about social justice. I didn’t have to come back into government and I didn’t want any other job. | |
| He will not address Ros Altmann’s comments directly, but said he was prepared that people would attempt to discredit him. | |
| 12.08pm GMT | |
| 12:08 | |
| IDS says he has been mulling his position for nine months but the Budget had been the clincher. | |
| When I was sitting looking at the Budget, it took me 48 hours [to decide] that I was better off out and I should make these arguments about our direction from the outside. | |
| I want them [the government] to get back on track and I won’t achieve that because of the narrowing o the base we can’t keep going after working age pensions. I would rather leave than snipe from the sidelines and brief, as some people do. | |
| 12.05pm GMT | |
| 12:05 | |
| IDS repeats that his main frustration is how what was intended to be a consultation on disability payments became linked to the budget, framed as a saving to pay for tax cuts. | |
| I found that really wrong, unfair and not the right characterisation which was a broader look at disability payments. | |
| 12.03pm GMT | |
| 12:03 | |
| IDS: This has nothing to do with Europe | |
| Iain Duncan Smith is back on your screens, speaking to Faisal Islam of Sky News. | |
| The first challenge to him is on Europe. He says: | |
| This is nothing to do with Europe. I have not been restricted in any way [from speaking out on Europe]. | |
| If you do not mind me saying so... this is something deliberately putout there to try to discredit me | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.06pm GMT | |
| 11.47am GMT | |
| 11:47 | |
| It’s hard to keep track of how some of the sensational volleys from different wings of the warring Tory party have unfolded over less than 48 hours, but here’s a good run downs of the attacks and counter-attacks. | |
| Related: Tory civil war sparked by resignation – in quotes | |
| 11.42am GMT | |
| 11:42 | |
| Heidi Allen, the Conservative MP who garnered major attention for her attack on tax credit cuts in her maiden speech, has been speaking to Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics. | |
| She points out that, despite briefings from Downing Street on Friday night, there is no official confirmation of a u-turn on disability cuts via a change to personal independence payments. | |
| Tory MP Heidi Allen says "we have made some poor decisions" in the budget and some of tax cuts wrong - "got to start again" | |
| .@heidiallen75 tells #bbcsp IDS was "right to resign. He's had enough of the pursestrings being pulled... he felt he had no other option." | |
| She is in full agreement with IDS that the new disability assessment criteria for personal independent payments are not fit for purpose. | |
| “The whole assessment process just doesn’t work for too many sick and disabled people. For me we need to look at the whole programme again,” she said. | |
| Osborne can save his career if he u-turns on PIP, she said. Asked if he had any chance of being prime minister, she said: “It depends how he respond to that challenge, in the coming weeks and months. I hope so yes. | |
| “Sometimes the strength of the man is how he picks himself up after a fall, if he attempts to brush it under the carpet than i would say no, absolutely not. Making mistakes is OK, provided you correct them.” | |
| Allen said she hoped the current civil war in the party “might be the sense check we all need” with the party at risk of being obsessed with division over Europe. | |
| “This could be slap to the face we all need,” she said. | |
| Updated | |
| at 11.54am GMT | |
| 11.34am GMT | 11.34am GMT |
| 11:34 | 11:34 |
| Here’s just one of the clips from the show where IDS calls the budget measures “deeply unfair” in his first interview since resigning as work and pensions secretary on Friday. | Here’s just one of the clips from the show where IDS calls the budget measures “deeply unfair” in his first interview since resigning as work and pensions secretary on Friday. |
| 11.33am GMT | 11.33am GMT |
| 11:33 | 11:33 |
| The key quotes from Iain Duncan Smith's explosive interview | The key quotes from Iain Duncan Smith's explosive interview |
| On the government’s austerity programme | On the government’s austerity programme |
| They [the government] are losing sight of the direction of travel they should be in. It is in danger of drifting in a direction that divides society rather than unites it. | They [the government] are losing sight of the direction of travel they should be in. It is in danger of drifting in a direction that divides society rather than unites it. |
| On the scale and impact of the cuts to disability benefits, combined with tax breaks for higher earners | On the scale and impact of the cuts to disability benefits, combined with tax breaks for higher earners |
| Juxtaposed as it came through in the Budget, that is deeply unfair and was perceived to be unfair. And that unfairness is damaging to the government, it’s damaging to the party and it’s actually damaging to the public. | Juxtaposed as it came through in the Budget, that is deeply unfair and was perceived to be unfair. And that unfairness is damaging to the government, it’s damaging to the party and it’s actually damaging to the public. |
| On tensions in the cabinet and the top-down approach | On tensions in the cabinet and the top-down approach |
| There needs to be a greater, collegiate sense on how decisions are made. This is not the way to do government. | There needs to be a greater, collegiate sense on how decisions are made. This is not the way to do government. |
| On Osborne’s entire deficit reduction strategy, cutting benefits for working-age people while protecting those for pensioners | On Osborne’s entire deficit reduction strategy, cutting benefits for working-age people while protecting those for pensioners |
| The truth is yes we need to get the deficit down but we need to make sure we widen the scope of where we look to get that deficit down and not just narrow it down on working age benefits | The truth is yes we need to get the deficit down but we need to make sure we widen the scope of where we look to get that deficit down and not just narrow it down on working age benefits |
| Because otherwise it just looks like we see this as a pot of money, that it doesn’t matter because they don’t vote for us. | Because otherwise it just looks like we see this as a pot of money, that it doesn’t matter because they don’t vote for us. |
| On talk of an attempted coup on Downing Street | On talk of an attempted coup on Downing Street |
| This is not personal ... I have no personal ambitions. If I never go back into government again, I will not cry about that. I came into this government because I cared about welfare reform. | This is not personal ... I have no personal ambitions. If I never go back into government again, I will not cry about that. I came into this government because I cared about welfare reform. |
| On the success of Cameron and Osborne | On the success of Cameron and Osborne |
| I am concerned that this government that I want to succeed is not actually able to do the kind of things that it should because it has become too focused on narrowly getting the deficit down without being able to say where that should fall other than simply on those who I think progressively can less afford to have that fall on them. | I am concerned that this government that I want to succeed is not actually able to do the kind of things that it should because it has become too focused on narrowly getting the deficit down without being able to say where that should fall other than simply on those who I think progressively can less afford to have that fall on them. |
| I am resigning because I want my government to think again about this and get back to that position that I believe, which is about being a One Nation [party]. | I am resigning because I want my government to think again about this and get back to that position that I believe, which is about being a One Nation [party]. |
| On allegations that his resignation is about Brexit | On allegations that his resignation is about Brexit |
| This is not some secondary attempt to attack the Prime Minister or about Europe. It is nothing to do with that at all – if I wanted to do that I would have been clear. I have never, ever hidden my views about something and I’m not doing it now. I am genuinely, genuinely concerned. | This is not some secondary attempt to attack the Prime Minister or about Europe. It is nothing to do with that at all – if I wanted to do that I would have been clear. I have never, ever hidden my views about something and I’m not doing it now. I am genuinely, genuinely concerned. |
| 11.20am GMT | 11.20am GMT |
| 11:20 | 11:20 |
| Some reaction from Conservative MPs to Duncan Smith’s interview earlier - both praise and scepticism. | Some reaction from Conservative MPs to Duncan Smith’s interview earlier - both praise and scepticism. |
| Superb articulation of the true Conservative mission by IDS on #Marr. Listen up all | Superb articulation of the true Conservative mission by IDS on #Marr. Listen up all |
| Compelling case from #IDS on social justice & priorities for Govt #Marr | Compelling case from #IDS on social justice & priorities for Govt #Marr |
| It was impossible for #IDS to defend #PIP changes whilst tax was being cut for wealthy. He was right to refuse to do so & to resign | It was impossible for #IDS to defend #PIP changes whilst tax was being cut for wealthy. He was right to refuse to do so & to resign |
| I am very reluctant to have to conclude that IDS resignation is not as straight forward as he would want us to believe. #wrongthingtodo | I am very reluctant to have to conclude that IDS resignation is not as straight forward as he would want us to believe. #wrongthingtodo |
| 10.55am GMT | 10.55am GMT |
| 10:55 | 10:55 |
| Jenkin: Downing Street 'deeply insincere' | Jenkin: Downing Street 'deeply insincere' |
| Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin, a key ally of IDS and fellow Eurosceptic, has been on Sky News in the last hour speaking to Dermot Murnaghan’s show. | Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin, a key ally of IDS and fellow Eurosceptic, has been on Sky News in the last hour speaking to Dermot Murnaghan’s show. |
| He’s being filmed in a leafy garden, which he says are the ground of his mother-in-law’s house. | He’s being filmed in a leafy garden, which he says are the ground of his mother-in-law’s house. |
| .@bernardjenkin - Gov "deliberately trying to fog atmosphere" over perplexed IDS resignation comments #Murnaghan https://t.co/CrtjXBcJtJ | .@bernardjenkin - Gov "deliberately trying to fog atmosphere" over perplexed IDS resignation comments #Murnaghan https://t.co/CrtjXBcJtJ |
| “She does not need to receive a £200 winter fuel allowance,” Jenkin said, but he claims Duncan Smith had always been denied any suggestion that he could start reining back benefits for better-off pensioners. The cuts had to bear on working people and families, including the disabled, Jenkin said. | “She does not need to receive a £200 winter fuel allowance,” Jenkin said, but he claims Duncan Smith had always been denied any suggestion that he could start reining back benefits for better-off pensioners. The cuts had to bear on working people and families, including the disabled, Jenkin said. |
| Frankly, for the government to say ‘oh we’re so perplexed, we don’t know why he resigned.... They are deliberately trying to fog the atmosphere. | Frankly, for the government to say ‘oh we’re so perplexed, we don’t know why he resigned.... They are deliberately trying to fog the atmosphere. |
| Jenkin said it was “deeply insincere” and said the key point was how revealing the row had been about the way Downing Street operates. | Jenkin said it was “deeply insincere” and said the key point was how revealing the row had been about the way Downing Street operates. |
| They have taken the same playbook as Brown and Blair. Everything is dictated from the top for short term political advantage. This cannot go on. | They have taken the same playbook as Brown and Blair. Everything is dictated from the top for short term political advantage. This cannot go on. |
| We need to reset how Whitehall operates. The prime minister is supposed to be primus inter pares [first among equals] not a dictator. The Chancellor should not control individual departments. And Iain is not the only minister who has got hugely frustrated. | We need to reset how Whitehall operates. The prime minister is supposed to be primus inter pares [first among equals] not a dictator. The Chancellor should not control individual departments. And Iain is not the only minister who has got hugely frustrated. |
| What a bunch of lefties the Tory right appear to be. Hmm #Murnaghan | What a bunch of lefties the Tory right appear to be. Hmm #Murnaghan |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.02am GMT | at 11.02am GMT |
| 10.42am GMT | 10.42am GMT |
| 10:42 | 10:42 |
| MP Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee, the influential Conservative backbenchers group, is up next on Pienaar’s Politics. | MP Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee, the influential Conservative backbenchers group, is up next on Pienaar’s Politics. |
| He is in politics for his beliefs and convictions and my inclination when he says something and gives his reasons is believe what he is saying. I think people often underestimate just how difficult it is for someone to come to this kind of decision. | He is in politics for his beliefs and convictions and my inclination when he says something and gives his reasons is believe what he is saying. I think people often underestimate just how difficult it is for someone to come to this kind of decision. |
| Brady, an Out-er, says that Altmann is “wrong” about IDS’ motivation. | Brady, an Out-er, says that Altmann is “wrong” about IDS’ motivation. |
| The worst thing you can do is impune somebody else’s motives for what they are doing and what they are saying. We are all involved in this because we have strong beliefs and are passionate about our country. | The worst thing you can do is impune somebody else’s motives for what they are doing and what they are saying. We are all involved in this because we have strong beliefs and are passionate about our country. |
| I would caution colleagues and senior advisers in government just to reflect on the damage that can be done. | I would caution colleagues and senior advisers in government just to reflect on the damage that can be done. |
| He said briefings about IDS’ ulterior motivations are “very unwise and will make it harder to pull the party back together after the referendum.” | He said briefings about IDS’ ulterior motivations are “very unwise and will make it harder to pull the party back together after the referendum.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.44am GMT | at 10.44am GMT |
| 10.33am GMT | 10.33am GMT |
| 10:33 | 10:33 |
| Priti Patel, the employment minister and a fellow leading eurosceptic close to IDS, is now on the line on Pienaar’s Politics. She has phoned in to contradict Ros Altmann’s analysis, despite the fact they are still supposedly ministers in the same department. | Priti Patel, the employment minister and a fellow leading eurosceptic close to IDS, is now on the line on Pienaar’s Politics. She has phoned in to contradict Ros Altmann’s analysis, despite the fact they are still supposedly ministers in the same department. |
| She is very keen to lend her support to her former boss, though she will directly support what IDS’ said in his interview about the welfare cap, which he called “arbitrary” and unfair. | She is very keen to lend her support to her former boss, though she will directly support what IDS’ said in his interview about the welfare cap, which he called “arbitrary” and unfair. |
| “That’s a matter for Iain,” she said, but says that IDS’ interview on Marr was done with “great dignity”. | “That’s a matter for Iain,” she said, but says that IDS’ interview on Marr was done with “great dignity”. |
| “I don’t speculate about future leadership, we are a very strong party in government and we all work to deliver security and opportunity for the people of Britain,” she said. | “I don’t speculate about future leadership, we are a very strong party in government and we all work to deliver security and opportunity for the people of Britain,” she said. |
| Iain has spoken very passionately today with great conviction and dignity in terms of making his case. | Iain has spoken very passionately today with great conviction and dignity in terms of making his case. |