Mr Blair should have the guts in due course to put that in front of the public... but I don't think he will

Iain Duncan Smith

Mr Duncan Smith said it was time for the government to "stop hiding" behind five economic tests which "are rubbish" and to give the public their say on whether to keep the pound.

Speaking on BBC TV's Breakfast with Frost he said there would be a "clear choice at last" for the public with the Conservatives saying they would keep the pound.

On the other hand, he said, "you will have the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats who want to take us in regardless - and the five economic tests are rubbish they just want to take us in for political reasons."

Mr Duncan Smith added: "Mr Blair should have the guts in due course to put that in front of the public... but I don't think he will."

Alternative to joining

Asked if he would accept a vote in favour of joining the euro, the Tory leader said he didn't deal in hypotheticals, but that the public's verdict was always binding on politicians.

He said what he wanted to show was that there was a choice, claiming that the government was currently "using taxpayers money" to persuade people that there was no alternative to adopting the euro.

Low tax economies more successful

Since becoming leader of the Conservative Party in September Mr Duncan Smith has hardened the party's stance on the euro to opposition in principle to losing the pound.

But he, and his team of shadow ministers, have been reluctant to talk about the euro, as they seek to end the in-fighting which marked the party during the 11 years under the leadership of John Major and William Hague.

During the interview he stressed that his party was now focusing its efforts on the issues which matter to the public, such as schools, hospitals, transport and crime.

He said they would "come forward with solutions" to these things which worried the public at large.

Pressed on comments that the Conservative Party was not reflective of modern Britain, he said steps would be taken to ensure more candidates were women and from ethnic minorities at the next election.

Private life

Asked about his policies on cutting taxes, he backed his shadow chancellor Michael Howard's comments that providing quality public services were a higher priority than cutting taxes.

Never having a private life - that's the thing I've woken up to more than anything else

Iain Duncan Smith on the worst thing since becoming Tory leader

But he added: "Successful economies are those which have low tax levels... and they are the ones who are able to spend more money on their public services."

He said that he backed reform of public services so they provided better value for money, so that a balance could be found between the need for better services and the need to have lower taxes to help the economy.

Mr Duncan Smith said the best thing about his first four months as leader had been the way the party had come together to combat Labour.

He said his party was no longer seen as being obsessed with specific issues, and was being seen as serious about public services, and was "back again as a serious alternative to this government".

The worst part of being leader - after four months in the post - was never having a private life - "that's the thing I've woken up to more than anything else".