Friday's papers react to Iain Duncan Smith's speech to the Conservative Party conference,

Times

It secured several standing ovations from activists and, perhaps, some breathing space when Conservative MPs return to Westminster. The harsh tone heard yesterday will, nonetheless, raise questions about his judgment. Beneath the surface, this conference has indicated that the Tories are capable of a revival. There has been more diversity in the delegates, signs of radical reform of party organisation and innovative thinking on a range of issues. At a time when the country needs an effective Opposition, and the Conservatives should be that Opposition, the party appears to be locked in a cycle of self-destruction. The paradoxical conclusion at the end of these proceeding is that Tory MPs might feel less capable of triggering a leadership challenge than a few days ago, but more concerned still about the direction of that leadership.

Telegraph

Though Mr Duncan Smith is no superman, he did make a superhuman effort. The result was that he not only improved on a year ago, but gave his best speech yet. The widely shared doubts about his public persona (in particular, his ability to think on his feet) will be reduced rather than dispelled, but he has replaced the amateurish oratory of the past with a more conversational style that suits him.

Guardian

Iain Duncan Smith delivered a speech to the 2003 Tory party conference in Blackpool yesterday that was nasty, brutish and long. Inevitably, it went down well with the party faithful in the Winter Gardens. Looked at from almost every other perspective, however, it was a disgrace. With his critics closing in on him, the Conservative leader threw good judgment to the winds. It is hard to remember a conference speech by a major party leader which did less for public debate and which reflects so discreditably on the person who gave it.

Independent

The Conservative leader stooped, but he will not conquer. Iain Duncan Smith's was a low and desperate speech that elicited the required response from his audience and took him no closer to fulfilling his "mission" of destroying Tony Blair...His true obsession is with national sovereignty. Yet he has a narrow, backward looking view of what constitutes Britons' ability to govern themselves. His pitch to the voters is, therefore, one of opportunism, xenophobia and unimaginative leadership. Yesterday's speech strengthened the argument of those Tories who say that almost anyone would be a better leader than him.

FT

Certainly he has delivered plenty on policy, including sensible pension reform plans, a patients' passport to increase choice in the health service and a pledge of 40,000 extra police. He also renewed the party's attack on things European with an impassioned call for a referendum on the European Union's new constitution. Yet Mr Duncan Smith's proposals lack coherence. Many of the policies would increase public spending - as would the sop to the middle classes of scrapping student fees. This undermines his promise to cut taxes and will worry voters that it would mean worse public services. The healthcare plans will add to such fears, since they appear to leave the National Health Service with a residual role for people unable to pay for private treatment. As for anti-EU sentiment, that strikes a chord with many British voters. But political strategists have long known that it is not a priority issue for any but visceral anti-Europeans. The challenge for the Conservatives is to find a clear message that would allow them to confront New Labour on the middle ground - and Mr Duncan Smith has yet to find it.

Mail

Nobody would claim that Iain Duncan Smith is the world's greatest orator. He lacks Tony Blair's array of slick, thespian skills. He probably couldn't summon up a trembling lip of a convenient glisten in the eye if his life depended on it. But make no mistake. Yesterday he gave the battered, beleaguered Tories the most resounding performance of his career. And their ecstatic standing ovation was the genuine response of a party that can at last dare to believe in itself again.

Sun

The message of Iain Duncan Smith's speech was good in parts. He was strong on Europe, taxes, asylum seekers and crime. But his performance was wooden and stiff, not helped by the fake standing ovations...This speech was not enough to dispel doubts over IDS's future. The party faithful must decide if they think IDS looks a winner against Tony Blair. And Tory MP must work out whether anyone else could do better.

Mirror

To see Iain Duncan Smith give his keynote speech at the Tory conference made watching paint dry look exciting. The delegates cheered him, giving him no fewer than 19 ovations. But surely even they could not have been fooled. It was a million miles away from the quality of most Labour ministers - and even many of his own frontbench team. The simple truth is that Iain Duncan Smith could never be a leader, let alone an inspiration, no matter how much speech training and makeovers he is given...Everyone knows he has not a hope of leading the Tories into anything other than another electoral disaster. That may be comforting for Tony Blair. But it is terrible for democracy that such a useless incompetent is the leader of the official opposition.