Continued Conservative divisions have left the party "in a mess" according to Chris Patten.

The European commissioner, who as party chairman masterminded John Major's successful 1992 election campaign, warned that the party risked drifting too far from the centre ground.

And in an interview with the BBC he also indicated that it was time to shake-up the party's top ranks.

Patten's intervention came after sustained criticism of Iain Duncan Smith's decision to remove two "modernisers" from senior positions in Central Office.

The row between Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Portillo also burst into the open, prompting Patten to say that the party "looks in a mess today".

"People have got to work together and try to find a voice - they haven't done so far - which attracts the electorate," he said.

"I fear that there are some in the Conservative Party who have become more interested in who is up and who is down in the Conservative Party, rather than whether the Conservative Party is ready and able to govern the country.

"I think it is much more important to consider that issue than this endless tribal warfare within the party."

Patten also speculated on the possibility of a shadow cabinet reshuffle, saying that there are "some very attractive Tory frontbench spokesmen and I hope that they are in a more prominent position in the next few months".

"Kenneth Clarke is a very attractive figure. He has the great advantage in politics of being popular with people who are not just hard-line members of his own party," he added.

"The trouble is that as Conservative Party base narrows, as fewer people identify themselves as Conservatives, it has tended to move to the right, so it has been more difficult for a moderate to get elected."

Following the latest wave of speculation about Duncan Smith's position as leader, one senior party figure ruled out any possibility of challenging him.

Shadow chancellor Michael Howard told GMTV's Sunday Programme that ruled out such a move "unequivocally, without qualification".

"We have an excellent leader, we should all rally round behind him, we should all support him because if we do that we can go on, we can show the people of our country that we can provide them with a better way of doing things," he said.

Meanwhile, Duncan Smith has sought to play down the latest row.

"I don't even give it a second thought. I haven't created this," he told the Sunday Telegraph

"The party rank and file wants us to take on Labour on health and education, where they have had fantastic failures.

"In the meantime, they want us to be united and to focus all our efforts in one direction."