Iain Duncan Smith defends Penny Mordaunt over 'plain and simple lying' accusations

'She was talking about the British people having a referendum...the fact is that the British people can’t vote'

Mr Duncan Smith said Ms Mourdant was talking about the British people not having a vote on Turkey-EU deal (Getty)

Iain Duncan Smith has attempted to clarify comments made by his pro-Brexit colleague Penny Mordaunt who was accused of “plain and simple lying” after claiming that the UK would not have a veto on Turkey joining the EU.

Pressed on remarks the armed forces minister Ms Mordaunt made on Sunday, Mr Duncan Smith said she was talking about the British people not having a vote on the matter in a referendum.

“An individual nation… does have a veto,” he admitted on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. “The British people themselves don’t… She was talking about the British people having a referendum. The fact is that the British people can’t vote.”

It comes after Ms Mordaunt was accused of “plain and simple” lying over the possibility of Turkey joining the EU. She had suggested the UK “does not” have a veto over the new membership of states such as Turkey – despite it being a key part of the Treaty of the EU.

On Turkey’s chances of joining the EU, she said: “This is our last chance to have a say on this, we’re not going to be consulted on whether those countries should join. Those countries are going to join, it is a matter of when.”

In an extraordinary intervention, David Cameron said the minister was “absolutely wrong” on the matter, and implied her judgement on other matters should be called into question as a result.

The Prime Minister told ITV's Peston on Sunday: "Let me be clear, Britain and every other country in the European Union has a veto on another country joining.

"That is a fact, and the fact that the Leave campaign are getting things as straightforward as this wrong should call in to question their whole judgment in making the bigger argument about leaving the EU."

James McGrory, a spokesman for Britain Stronger in Europe, said on Sunday that the minister is "plain and simple lying to people".

He added: "We have a veto on whether Turkey can join the EU," he said. "As does every other EU nation…that was disgraceful from Penny Mordaunt on [the Andrew Marr Show]. Criticises dishonesty and then is utterly dishonest about our veto on Turkey."

Mr Duncan Smith also said on Radio 4: “By the way, we talk about Turkey but Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia are all in line to come into the European Union