Iain Duncan Smith elected Tory leader

Iain Duncan Smith has been elected as the new leader of Britain's Conservative Party.

He received 61% of the vote.

The result of the three-month contest has been issued with a very low-key announcement at the party's central London headquarters.

The news that Mr Duncan Smith had defeated Kenneth Clarke had been delayed as a mark of respect for those who died in the US terrorist attacks.

Mr Smith received 155,933 votes, while Mr Clarke was backed by 100,864 members of the party.

The result brings to an end to the bruising contest that has further exposed party divisions over Europe and the future course of the party.

It was conducted under elaborate rules introduced by Mr Hague, who resigned in June following Labour's second election landslide, and allowed every party member a vote for the first time.