Duncan Smith: I will not be ousted as leader

Iain Duncan Smith hit back yesterday at the Tory MPs plotting to oust him as leader, telling them he was "guaranteed" to lead the party into the next general election.

In an interview with The Independent, the Tory leader admitted he had "the toughest job that anyone will ever do" but dismissed his critics as "a few MPs with differences". He said: "I am utterly relaxed about this... I really couldn't care less."

Mr Duncan Smith accused the dissidents of being too obsessed with Westminster. He is to order all his MPs to spend more time outside London winning back lost support.

Despite speculation he will face a leadership challenge, he declared: "We are not going to have any change. I can guarantee that. I know where I am going. Every day I do this I become more and more certain that what I am doing is right."

The shadow Deputy Prime Minister, David Davis, seen as one of the most likely contenders for the leadership, said he would not challenge Mr Duncan Smith. In an apparent gesture of loyalty, he told BBC Question Time: "I will never challenge Iain. Absolutely not."

Mr Duncan Smith sought to boost his prospects by lowering expectations of gains in next May's local elections, seen as a make-or-break test of his leadership. "I am not expecting great things in May because we are defending a strong position," he said. "The real test is the general election."

Mr Duncan Smith promised more policies soon on pensions, health and education. The Tories might propose a ban on strikes in essential services because of the threat of a firemen's strike, he revealed. But he rejected pleas from modernisers for the party to support adoption by unmarried couples, including gays, when the Adoption Bill returns to the Commons on Monday.