Betsygate dossier handed to inquiry

The woman official at the centre of allegations about Iain Duncan Smith's payments to his wife was handing over a dossier of evidence to the inquiry into the affair today.

Vanessa Gearson was delivering a written statement and a bundle of documents to parliamentary standards commissioner Sir Philip Mawer.

They include the leaked email she wrote which triggered the furore, warning of the dangers of a "Crick-style investigation" into the employment of Betsy Duncan Smith at the taxpayers' expense.

She will also hand over legal letters between her and the party's solicitors which are said to show she was put under intense pressure to hush-up the controversy by making a statement she did not know to be true.

With signs of panic breaking out among Conservative activists and MPs alike, former leader John Major last night made an emotional appeal for the party to bind its wounds. He said he was "heartbroken" at the turmoil breaking out and warned that it could get much worse.

"As someone who joined the Conservative Party as a boy, it breaks my heart to see what a relatively small number of people are doing to one of the great political parties of history," he told the
BBC's Hardtalk programme.

Sir Philip is under pressure to reach a rapid verdict in his investigation into claims - furiously denied by the leader - that Mrs Duncan Smith did not do enough work to justify her £15,000 salary paid from her husband's parliamentary allowances.

And he has set a "put up or shut up" deadline of 6pm tonight for Mr Duncan Smith's accusers - some of whom are anonymous - to come forward with hard evidence.

Mr Duncan Smith has attacked "cowards in the shadows" behind the claims and accused supporters of former leadership contender Michael Portillo of trying to topple his leadership.

However, a Times survey today showed 66 out of 79 constituency chairmen in key seats backed IDS.