Labour chief: Tories stupid to go right

Ben Leapman12 April 2012

Labour Chairman Charles Clarke today unleashed a stream of insults against Opposition leader Iain Duncan Smith, calling the Tories "stupid" for electing him and claiming that his top team are "known nutters".

The remarks from Mr Clarke, who is a close Cabinet ally of Tony Blair, breached the political truce which has been largely respected by both main parties since the terrorist attacks of 11 September.

He also revealed that Commons Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong is compiling a "massive file" of evidence of Conservative extremism, which will be published once normal politics have resumed.

Speaking to political journalists at Westminster, Mr Clarke said: "The Tory Party has chosen a leader who is more extreme, ultra-Right, and dislocated from the position of the electorate than William Hague was.

"I don't understand myself how they could have done that.

"They are pushing themselves way out on the ultra-Right of British politics." He compared the Tories' choice of Iain Duncan Smith with Labour's decision in 1983 to elect Neil Kinnock, who took on the far Left and dragged his party back towards the centre.

Mr Clarke said that there was now a "shadow shadow cabinet", of senior Tories who are out of favour with the leadership, but who are of higher calibre and had greater experience than the official shadow cabinet.

Tory and Labour deputy leaders clashed angrily in the Commons this afternoon as Mr Blair missed the regular Prime Minister's questions session because of his trip to the Middle East.

Michael Ancram accused the Government of failing to deliver on improvements to public services, but he was taunted by John Prescott over the scale of the Tory defeat at the June general election.

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