BRITAIN: Embattled Conservative leader Mr Iain Duncan Smith has tried to force the hands of his opponents by giving them until tomorrow night to launch a leadership challenge or "call a halt" to their plotting.
After a day spent trying to rally support in meetings with groups of his backbenchers at Westminster, Mr Duncan Smith challenged the plotters to put up or shut up and bring to an end "a damaging episode" which he said was "demoralising our party's grassroots and appalling the public".
Insisting that the "fever" gripping his party be ended this week, Mr Duncan Smith said he believed there had been enough time for 25 MPs to make themselves known and force a confidence vote. And given numerous predictions that Wednesday would see at least 25 MPs submit the necessary letters to Sir Michael Spicer, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, 'IDS' challenged his tormentors: "So let us make Wednesday the final deadline."
At the same time he again warned that he would not quit: "If by Wednesday night the chairman of the 1922 Committee is in receipt of 25 names, I will seek to win a vote of confidence in my leadership."
Equally, if the names were still not forthcoming, Mr Duncan Smith said: "I will expect my party to call a halt to this most damaging episode."
Under party rules, if the leader wins a confidence vote by a simple majority he cannot be challenged for another 12 months. However, if he loses the vote he must resign immediately and cannot take part in the resulting leadership contest.
Yesterday Mr Duncan Smith maintained he did not expect a challenge to emerge and predicted a line would be drawn under the whole business.
However, if a vote is forced Mr Duncan Smith would face an uphill struggle to win a majority in a parliamentary party of which fewer than one in three MPs backed him in the battle to succeed Mr William Hague two years ago.
Mr Derek Conway, one of only three MPs so far to publicly confirm his support for a confidence vote, suggested yesterday that up to three quarters of his colleagues now considered Mr Duncan Smith "not up to the job".