Former Tory party leader Iain Duncan Smith was this afternoon confirmed as the secretary of state for work and pensions in the David Cameron-led coalition Government.
A former army officer who saw active service in Northern Ireland, he was a shadow defence secretary under William Hague. He beat competition from another new Cabinet colleague, Kenneth Clarke, to take on the party leadership role in September 2001. This comes in contrast to earlier rumours from www.politicshome.com, which suggested former shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, and one-time Tory work and pensions spokesman, Philip Hammond would get the job. Separately, www.ePolitix.com reported Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland would become pensions minister under the new regime ...
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