Forth complains of Tory 'dark forces'

Friends of David Davis accused aides of Iain Duncan Smith yesterday of mounting a "black propaganda" campaign against him after his removal as Conservative Party chairman.

Mr Davis, still on holiday in Florida, is furious at newspaper reports that he had to be talked out of resigning from the Shadow Cabinet after his surprise demotion to a new post shadowing John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister. He is also incensed about speculation that he only accepted the job in order to further his goal of becoming Tory leader.

Friends of Mr Davis insisted that he always intended to take the post offered by Mr Duncan Smith during their tense talks on mobile telephones on Monday. They said he was keen to "get on with the job" when he returns to work next week.

One ally said: "He is absolutely furious that some people around Iain are briefing against him and putting words into his mouth. It seems they are trying to drive him out of the Shadow Cabinet. But they won't succeed."

During his spell as chairman, Mr Davis clashed with some of Mr Duncan Smith's aides, including Dominic Cummings, his director of strategy. When Mr Cummings said in June that the Tories should not lead the campaign against joining the euro because they were so unpopular, Mr Davis disowned him publicly. But Mr Duncan Smith refused to follow suit and has accepted Mr Cummings' advice.

One friend of Mr Davis said: "He knows that some people are trying to drive him into a position where he walks out. They are trying to cause bad blood between him and Iain with their freelance operations again. But they are playing with fire."

The tensions at the top of the party were illustrated yesterday when Eric Forth, the shadow Leader of the Commons and an ally of Mr Davis, criticised Mr Duncan Smith's treatment of Mr Davis while he was on holiday.

Mr Forth said: "The frustrating thing for him [Mr Davis] is he has been so far away throughout all of this that he has been at a terrific disadvantage. It's pretty obvious that there have been dark forces at work taking advantage of his absence."

David Wincup, chairman of Mr Davis's Haltemprice and Howden constituency party, said the former Tory chairman had been unhappy at the way his critics had waited until he was out of the country before attacking him. "I think that is the sad part, that they can't stand face-to-face with him," he said.

But he insisted that Mr Davis would make the best of his new job. "He's obviously disappointed but at the same time – and you can say he would say this, wouldn't he – he is looking forward to the challenge of the new job and taking on John Prescott and I know who will be the winner in that battle," he said.