Five people have been arrested after Iain Duncan Smith was allegedly hit on the head with a traffic cone while the former Tory party leader was in Manchester for his part’s conference.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said three men and two women were arrested after reports of an assault on Portland Street on Monday at around 4pm.
The senior MP was pursued by chants of “Tory scum” on his way to a talk on the fringes of the conference.
Duncan Smith was walking to the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel where he was involved in a talk with Brexit minister Lord Frost.
The Spectator magazine quoted Duncan Smith as saying: “For half a second I was about to go up and punch them, I went forward and they all backed off – I nearly knocked them out, lost my rag.
“I can’t tell you very much other than they just followed us, used abusive language, attacked us and used a cone.
“They were shouting all along and then they smashed the cone on the back of my head and so I turned and grabbed the cone and looked at them and I took a pace towards them and they backed off. I threw the cone on the ground, said ‘pathetic’ and turned and walked off.”
Video posted to Twitter said to be after the cone incident showed Duncan Smith being followed down the street as someone shouts “Tory scum” to the banging of a drum.
“F*** off out of Manchester you Tory scum,” one of the pursuers said.
A friend of Duncan Smith said he was walking with his wife Betsy at the time of the incident and escaped without injury.
GMP said officers were on the scene within three minutes of receiving reports of an assault.
“There aren’t believed to be any serious injuries, and following a short foot pursuit three men and two women have been arrested in connection with it, and remain in custody for questioning,” a statement said.
“Inquiries are ongoing.”