Bercow refuses offer as party campaigner

The former shadow cabinet minister John Bercow is to deliver a further snub to Iain Duncan Smith by turning down an offer to serve as a "campaign co-ordinator" for the Tory party.

The former work and pensions minister, who quit over his party's three-line whip on gay and unmarried adoption. is understood to believe the post would be a "non-job". Mr Bercow's reluctance to accept the position came as Lord Tebbit, a former cabinet minister, pulled out as a guest at his wedding.

The former Tory chairman did not give any reason for his withdrawal but Mr Bercow said he had no doubt that it was because of his stand on the right of gay and unmarried couples to adopt.

The Buckingham MP said it was "very sad" that Lord Tebbit had allowed disagreement over a political issue to get in the way of their personal friendship. "I would have hoped that he could preserve a friendship irrespective of political differences," he said.

Mr Bercow is to marry Sally Illman on 7 December, and Lord Tebbit and his wife were invited as friends of the groom. The invitation was accepted several weeks ago. Mr Bercow said that Miss Illman's mother received a letter withdrawing their acceptance yesterday. "You will not be surprised to know that I believe it would now be quite wrong for my wife and I to be guests at the marriage of your daughter and Mr Bercow," Lord Tebbit wrote.

"I hope you understand that we both regret any hurt or offence to you or your daughter, to whom we extend our very best wishes."

Lady Tebbit later denied that the decision not to attend was linked to Mr Bercow's resignation from the Shadow Cabinet. "It is simply a personal engagement, arranged a long time ago," she said.

Mr Bercow said yesterday that he did not believe he was a target of Mr Duncan Smith's criticism in his "personal statement" calling on the party to unite or die.

The Tory leader had referred to "a small group of my parliamentary colleagues", who he said had decided to undermine his leadership.

"Iain Duncan Smith obviously can't have been referring to me because he accepted, in his letter accepting my resignation, that I felt strongly about this issue and he said he wanted me to take a role as a campaign co-ordinator for the party," Mr Bercow said.

"Obviously, he wouldn't have put that proposal to me if he thought I was in any sense malign in my resignation or if he thought I was disloyal, unprincipled or in any sense behaving badly."