Iain Duncan Smith

Iain Duncan Smith 1954-, British politician, leader (2001-3) of the Conservative party , b. Edinburgh. Educated at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, he served in the Scots Guards from 1975 to 1981, leaving the army for a series of business positions, mainly in the defense industry and publishing. Also in 1981 he joined the Conservative party, and in 1987 he ran unsuccessfully for Parliament. After winning a seat in 1992, he became noted as a Euroskeptic and Thatcherite conservative. He held shadow cabinet posts from 1997 to 2001, when he was elected to succeed William Hague as Tory party leader. Duncan Smith had served just two years in the post when he was ousted and was replaced by Michael Howard .

Duncan Smith, Iain (b. 1954). Politician. After seven years in the Scots Guards (1975–81), Duncan Smith moved into industry before election in 1992 for Chingford. In 1997 he became Conservative spokesman for social security and in 1999 for defence. On the right of the party, he was a strong opponent of further EEC integration. After the resignation of William Hague in 2001, he was elected leader, but has struggled to impose his authority on a party demoralized by crushing election defeats in 1997 and 2001. He was replaced as leader of the Conservative Party by Michael Howard in October 2003.

Smith, Iain Duncan (1954) British politician, leader of the Conservative Party (2001–2003). Smith was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Chingford at the 1992 General Election. A leading Eurosceptic backbencher during the Prime Ministership of John Major, he served as Shadow Secretary of State for Social Security (1997–99) and Shadow Defence Secretary (1999–2001) under William Hague. Smith faced the difficult task of unifying and modernising the Tories after two election defeats.