Duncan Smith attacks BNP 'smears'

Iain Duncan Smith sacked Edgar Griffin from his team

Iain Duncan Smith has challenged his leadership rival to "stop the smears" after the man sacked from his campaign team for having far-right links was expelled from the Conservative Party.

Action was swiftly taken against Edgar Griffin, 79, after it emerged his son was British National Party chairman Nick Griffin and his wife Jean ran for the party against Mr Duncan Smith at the general election.

It's an attempt... by my opponent to drag up nonsense and hurl abuse

Iain Duncan Smith

But relations between the two men running for the leadership of the Conservative Party were brought to a new low as Mr Duncan Smith hinted his rival could have deliberately sparked the entire controversy.

Ken Clarke denies using such tactics and he urged his opponent to check there were no others like Mr Griffin among his supporters "because the party's far more right wing than it was when we were in government".

Mr Griffin expressed surprise at the decision to expel him from the Tories and has suggested he may fight it.

'Sound' BNP policies

During a series of media interviews on Friday he spoke out in favour of "very sound" BNP policies.

But he stressed he had been a full Tory party member since 1948.

Mr Duncan Smith made his views clear when he told BBC News: "I will not tolerate people like this, they will leave immediately."

But, after Clarke supporters questioned why Mr Griffin had supported Mr Duncan Smith in the first place, he had stark words for his rival.

Ken Clarke: Denied 'smear' allegation

"This is a complete smear campaign, it's an attempt - as has been going on for three days now - by my opponent to drag up nonsense and hurl abuse," Mr Duncan Smith said.

"On not one occasion has he dealt with the issues that I have dealt with, on not one occasion has he made a speech on health or welfare or the environment.

"I simply say to him: If you go on like this, making allegations and smears, the only people that are going to suffer are in the Conservative Party. I say pack it up."

Mr Duncan Smith added that he had "a sense" one of Mr Clarke's team leaked details of Mr Griffin's background to the press and timed it to cause maximum damage.

Mr Clarke dismissed the allegations outright.

"It's absolutely nothing to do with our camp and obviously this man was discovered by the Daily Mirror - this is not under my control."

'Friendly advice'

He said he approved of Mr Duncan Smith sacking Mr Griffin but went on: "Some perfectly friendly advice to Iain is that I hope he's ensured he's got nobody else like this inside his organisation because the party's far more right wing than it was when we were in government."

Clarke supporter and Tory vice-chairman Steve Norris said Mr Duncan Smith's personal views and probity were beyond question.

Edgar Griffin's son is BNP chairman Nick Griffin

But he added: "The point is this gentleman believed that Iain Duncan Smith was the kind of Tory he could really support."

Acting Conservative chairman David Prior said Mr Griffin had been expelled for "assisting" the BNP, an "extremist, nasty organisation, many of whose members openly incite racial hatred and acts of violence against minorities".

"We repudiate them utterly and unequivocally."

Mr Griffin told BBC News he was "very, very taken aback" at the expulsion that was "based really on a misunderstanding".

'No damage done'

The retired accountant insists he is not a BNP supporter, although he is in favour of funding voluntary repatriation for immigrants among other BNP policies.

Sounding a note of defiance, he said: "I am not really going to be chucked out of the Tory party.

"However they are saying this in London, it is a nonsense because the Welsh are very jealous of their independence."

Asked if he thought he had now damaged the Conservatives Mr Griffin replied: "Not in the slightest, no, absolutely not."