IDS didn’t take John Major’s line that his welfare reforms won’t work “unless he is very lucky, which he may not be, or a genius, which the last time I looked was unproven” too well then. He has hit back where it hurts this afternoon:

“I never really get too fussed about what people think about their own intellects. I’m always happy to be in awe of someone whose own intellect delivered us the cones hotline, I must say.”

This is exactly the sort of infighting that split the Cone-servative party in the past…