Portillo: Tory leader shouldn't surround himself with "short grasses"

The former cabinet minister said the Tory leadership was narrowing the party's appeal to voters and had brought the current troubles on itself - a charge later echoed by another senior backbencher.

His interview for BBC Radio 4's World At One follows the departure of two key modernising officials from Conservative Central Office, which Mr Portillo says has prompted resignation threats from members of the party's board.

The sheer strength of his comments sets the story alight Analysis on Portillo's withering attack

Mrs May admitted the last few days had been "a little turbulent" but insisted she was staying in her job and rejected Mr Portillo's claims she had not been consulted about the personnel changes.

Asked whether it was too late for Mr Duncan Smith to revive his fortunes, Mr Portillo pointedly refused to comment, but ruled himself out of any future leadership race.

'Made at the centre'

But former Tory MP Michael Brown said Mr Portillo's comments were "a defining moment" for Mr Duncan Smith.

He compared them to a speech by Geoffrey Howe which played a part in the downfall of Margaret Thatcher.

The latest round of Tory woes began when party chief executive Mark MacGregor was sacked.

Mr Portillo said he was puzzled why the party had attracted bad headlines when Mr Duncan Smith had been performing well in Parliament and the party's opinion poll ratings were on the rise.

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"This seems to be a crisis manufactured at the centre," he said.

Mr Portillo described Mr MacGregor as one of the cleverest people ever employed by the Conservatives.

His appointment was an "ecumenical gesture" because Mr MacGregor had supported the Portillo leadership campaign.

Earlier this week, Conservative officials denied reports that Mrs May is to be sacked as chairman and said Mr Duncan Smith believed she was doing a "fantastic job".

But Mr Portillo said: "Her position seems to be impossible.

"She's been briefed against, changes have been made to the party that she ought to have been consulted about that she wasn't consulted about. It looks very bad."

Yes men?

The changes had also angered the Conservative board, he said, and it felt "constitutionally violated" at not being consulted.

Replacing Mr MacGregor with former MP Barry Legg was "trading down", suggested Mr Portillo.

He continued: "You don't look tall if you surround yourself by short grasses."

Duncan Smith says the public are not interested by internal arguments

Mr MacGregor's departure, as well as the resignation of research director Rick Nye, has been seen as a clear out of modernisers at Tory HQ.

Mr Portillo said: "I fear it looks like a narrowing of the party."

That was not a good idea when the Tories want to win 44% of the vote to win the next general election, he argued.

Asked whether it was too late for Mr Duncan Smith, he said: "I have no comment on that. He was going through a very good period."

'Fully involved'

Mrs May hit back at Mr Portillo's attack saying: "I am not in an impossible position...

"I am chairman of the party and I played my full part in the decisions that were taken to make staff changes here in central office."

She denied threatening to resign or considering her position and said the "media frenzy" was based on inaccurate reports.

Ordinary members of the party have a right to say to the leadership: 'What the hell is going on.' Derek Conway Tory MP

She pledged to get on with the job of developing a credible alternative to Labour.

Earlier, senior Conservative backbencher Derek Conway said "only a fool" would ignore Mr Portillo's warnings.

Mr Conway said the "self-inflicted row" had come out of the blue and things were becoming increasingly difficult for Mr Duncan Smith.

Mrs May's position was "untenable in the present circumstances", said the MP, a former secretary of the influential backbench 1922 Committee.

"She needs to know whether she has the confidence of the leadership ... we need to know whether she's in the loop," he told BBC News.

Mr Conway demanded to know why Mr MacGregor was dismissed and said it seemed incredible Mrs May had not been consulted.