Senior Conservative figures have moved to end internal party wrangling following the sacking of chairman David Davis.

Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin called for an end to "personality politics" following Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith's re-shuffle.

He spoke out after Mr Davis warned that "unpleasantness and division" could "cripple" Mr Duncan Smith's leadership.

Strong policies rather than internal wrangles were the Conservatives' only "hope of impressing the electorate", Mr Letwin said.

Oliver Letwin wants to focus on policies

"I don't think the question of who does which job is anything like as important as which direction we face in," he told the BBC Radio 4 programme The World This Weekend.

"What matters now is to establish very clearly the strategy, which is partly now established, concentrating on the things that really matter to people, namely the public services."

Mr Duncan Smith and Mr Davis - two former rivals for the party leadership - met on Sunday for the first time since Mr Davis was sacked by phone while on a family holiday in Florida.

In comments released by Conservative Central Office, Mr Duncan Smith described the meeting as "excellent", and said it focused on Mr Davis's new remit of shadowing Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

'Not awash with talent'

Earlier on Sunday, a former adviser to William Hague warned that Mr Duncan Smith cannot afford to lose the "formidable" talents of Mr Davis.

Platell: Davis's character "assassinated"

Amanda Platell, who was a key aide to Mr Hague - leader of the Conservatives until their election defeat last year - said she believed the party's strategy expert Dominic Cummings was responsible for briefing against Mr Davis "in the most malicious way".

A series of anonymous leaks about his future were made prior to Mr Davis's exit and his replacement by Theresa May earlier this week.

Ms Platell argued that the Tories were "not awash with talent" and losing the MP would be a mistake.

She was not aware if Mr Duncan Smith had sanctioned the briefings, but she said the Tory leader "does love talking to the editors" of newspapers.

'Tissue of lies'

Mr Davis broke his silence on Saturday by strongly criticising party members who he said launched an "orchestrated campaign of character assassination" against him while he was on holiday.

The real victim has been the Conservative Party

David Davis

The MP for Haltemprice and Howden said the time surrounding his sacking had been a "bad fortnight for the Conservative Party".

"Anyone who knows me will recognise that the orchestrated campaign of character assassination was a tissue of lies," he said.

"It was intended to harm me but the real victim has been the Conservative Party."

He pledged to continue serving Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith to the best of his ability.

Still in charge

Mr Davis's comments came as the Tory leader's chief of staff Jenny Ungless stepped down after apparently becoming a target of traditionalists opposed to her agenda for modernisation.

Mr Davis is set to take temporary charge of the party despite his demotion. Mr Duncan Smith is away on holiday from Monday. Mrs May is in control this week but is heading off on holiday herself the next.

Deputy leader and shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram is also away, so Mr Davis will take charge with Mr Letwin acting as his number two.