TWO Conservative politicians have hit back at a fellow Bolton Tory councillor who attacked the leadership of Iain Duncan-Smith.

Andrew Morgan and Hilary Fairclough, who were at the Conservative conference in Bournemouth, defended their under-fire leader following comments by Cllr Stuart Lever.

Cllr Lever (Astley Bridge) said that the leadership of Mr Duncan-Smith was discouraging him and other Conservatives from standing for election as prospective MPs in Bolton.

But Cllrs Morgan (Hulton Park) and Fairclough (Astley Bridge) said many new ideas and policies were announced at the conference to "relaunch" the party as the only credible alternative to the current Government.

Major policies announced included the right to buy for housing association residents, the decentralisation of government back to councils and offering the people the choice about when and where they use public services.

Mr Morgan said: "Just because the Government holds the purse strings for public services it does not mean that they have to provide and control these services. The Conservative Party would offer real choice to the public to exercise their own wishes."

Of party leader Iain Duncan-Smith, he said: "The conference was always going to be one of the most difficult for some years but we are glad that Iain Duncan-Smith and his shadow cabinet have given the party some strong proposals and policies to allow us, at all levels of the party, to go forward and offer the public a credible, strong and forward-thinking alternative to this ever-controlling Labour Government."

He added: "We as a party must now look forward not back and support our leader. The party will now move forward, with Iain Duncan-Smith."