On 13 September 2001, Iain Duncan Smith was declared the winner of the Conservative Party leadership contest, defeating Kenneth Clarke in a ballot of the party’s members – the first of its kind.

The announcement, originally scheduled for 11 September, was delayed by two days following the terrorist attacks in the United States.

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The leadership election was triggered by William Hague’s resignation in the wake of the Conservatives’ second successive landslide defeat to Tony Blair’s Labour Party in the 2001 general election. The contest was the first to be held under new rules introduced by Hague, whereby MPs would vote in successive ballots to select two final candidates, who would then be put to a one member one vote (OMOV) ballot of the entire party membership.

The parliamentary stage was contested by five candidates: Duncan Smith, Clarke, Michael Portillo, David Davis and Michael Ancram. It displayed the party’s considerable divides over Europe and ‘modernisation’.

Clarke, the europhile former chancellor, won 36, 39 and 59 votes respectively in the three ballots of MPs. He initially benefitted from a split in the eurosceptic vote.

Michael Portillo, seen as the ‘modernising’ candidate, won the support of 49, 50 and 53 colleagues consecutively. He entered the race as the favourite, but was eliminated in the final round after Duncan Smith rallied the eurosceptic and “stop Clarke” sections of his party.

Portillo responded by retiring from frontline politics. “The time has come for me to look for other things to do”, he said.

“I wish the other two well, and I’m sure one of them will make a good leader. I would just get in their way and I will seek other things to do.”

Duncan Smith support stood successively at 39, 42 and 54 – meaning he only narrowly beat Portillo to the all-important final membership round.

Davis was seen as an outsider candidate. Notwithstanding his later role as Brexit secretary, the former whip was loathed by many eurosceptics for his conduct during John Major’s tenure as prime minister. Duncan Smith, meanwhile, was one of the most intractable Maastricht rebels.

The first ballot of MPs, held on 10 July, led to a last-placed tie between Davis and Ancram on 21 votes. The new leadership rules failed to account for this scenario, and both candidates refused to withdraw.

The second ballot, conducted two days later, resulted in both Davis (18) and Ancram (17) losing ground. They withdrew and threw their weight behind Duncan Smith.

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Clarke, a longstanding party grandee, was seen as too pro-European by many in the party’s grassroots. Duncan Smith’s reputation as a staunch Thatcherite – reinforced by an endorsement from the Iron Lady herself – saw him over the line.

In a crucial intervention, Thatcher said: “I simply cannot understand how Ken Clarke could lead today’s Conservative party to anything other than disaster. He is at odds with the majority of its members on too many issues.

“He appears to be an even keener enthusiast for the euro than is the prime minister, let alone the chancellor. He seems to view with blithe unconcern the erosion of Britain’s sovereignty in Europe. And in the strategic decision over whether Britain aligns herself with an emerging European superstate or whether our relationship with America should remain paramount, Ken Clarke would be on the side of Brussels.”

Hague, the outgoing leader, also endorsed Duncan Smith.

The frontrunner nonetheless found himself having to appease his right-wing supporters. He backtracked on a proposal to review the Conservative Party’s support for ‘Section 28’ (of the Local Government Act 1988), which stated that local authorities should “not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality”.

Duncan Smith’s spokesperson was forced to clarify his position, stating: “This legislation protects the most vulnerable in our society, our children. There is no question of repealing it.”

He was also forced to repudiate an endorsement from the far-right British National Party (BNP).

This came shortly after it was revealed that Edgar Griffin, the father of the BNP leader Nick Griffin, was the vice-president of Duncan Smith’s campaign in Wales. Griffin, who was reported to be a supporter of his son’s party, was sacked.

Michael Heseltine, the former deputy prime minister, warned that the party would be “out to lunch” for a generation if it elected Duncan Smith as its leader.

These developments notwithstanding, Duncan Smith won 155,933 votes (60.7%) to Clarke’s 100,864 (39.3%), on a turnout of 78.3%.

The contest highlighted a clear political disconnect between the parliamentary party, which favoured Clarke, and the party grassroots.

Duncan Smith’s victory speech centred on the recent terrorist attacks in the United States. “My party will stand shoulder to shoulder with the prime minister and his government in supporting our friends and allies in the US during this tragic time”, he declared.

Clarke responded: “I congratulate Iain on his success and I wish him every success in leading the party back to an election victory, and he will have all our support in doing that.”

Hague said: “I fervently hope he will be the next Conservative prime minister. The fact that such a high proportion of members voted in this election gives him the authority to lead the whole party. It is now up to all of us to give him the enthusiastic support and loyalty he will need.”

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Duncan Smith appointed Michael Howard, who had declined to run as a leadership candidate, as shadow chancellor. Michael Ancram was made shadow foreign secretary and deputy leader, while David Davis was appointed as party chairman.

Duncan Smith also promoted a series of eurosceptic MPs, including Bill Cash, erstwhile ringleader of the Maastricht rebels, as shadow attorney general. Bernard Jenkin, another Maastricht rebel, was appointed shadow defence secretary.

Duncan Smith’s leadership proved deeply troubled from the start; he was simply no match for Tony Blair’s political supremacy.

The Conservative leader memorably appealed to his party to not “underestimate the determination of a quiet man”.

Following reports of leadership plots, Duncan Smith was also forced to urge Conservative MPs to “unite or die”.

Then, after months of speculation about his position – and an inquiry into allegations he had paid his wife from parliamentary funds – Duncan Smith faced a vote of no confidence from his own MPs.

On 29 October 2003, having lost the confidence ballot by 90 votes to 75, Duncan Smith resigned. He was replaced by Howard.

After the 2005 general election and Howard’s resignation, the Conservative Party elected David Cameron as its new leader on a platform of modernisation.

Portillo’s candidacy in 2001, while controversial in some quarters, was widely regarded to have advanced the modernisation cause.

Duncan Smith was appointed work and pensions secretary in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government which formed after the 2010 general election.

He proved a thorn in the prime minister’s side when it came to the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union; he unexpectedly resigned in March 2016, ostensibly over the government’s planned cuts to disability benefits.

He warned that the government was “in danger of drifting in a direction that divides society rather than unites it.”

Duncan Smith supported the ‘Leave’ campaign in the Brexit referendum.