Iain Duncan Smith will attempt to safeguard his leadership of the Conservatives today with a rousing speech to the Conservative Party conference.

Under pressure from restless delegates and mutinous MPs, Duncan Smith has warned that he will not go without a fight.

His keynote address on the Tory's final day in Blackpool is set to continue the conference theme of trusting the British people.

He will argue that the party's new plans on crime, asylum, health and education reinforce his message to the public that "we will trust you."

The Tory leader is also set to lambast Labour's failure to deliver on its pledge to reform the public services, while at the same time raising taxes and damaging Britain's economic competitiveness.

The papers today report that the plot to unseat Duncan Smith as Tory leader is being organised by John Maples, the former Treasury minister.

Maples is said to be planning to put his name forward as early as next week in an attempt to find 25 MPs willing to trigger a no-confidence vote in Duncan Smith's leadership.

Faced with media questions about moves to remove him as leader, Duncan Smith said that if he were told that 25 MPs had called for a vote of confidence on his leadership he would put them in a "telephone box".

A YouGov poll in today's Telegraph finds that a 53 per cent of party members believe it was a "mistake" to elect Duncan Smith party leader, while 71 per cent said the Tory frontbench is not providing an effective opposition.

The Guardian quotes a member of his inner circle who says: "It has been a strange week, to say the least. On one level we have had a very successful week in which we have unveiled some significant policies which have been well received.

"But this has been overshadowed by the noises about Iain. We have not been able to control this."