Iain Duncan Smith promoted to head up Team Johnson

Iain Duncan Smith has been promoted to head up Boris Johnson's Tory leadership campaign team in a bid to get his fight for Downing Street back on track. 

Mr Johnson has today been unleashed on the campaign trail after days of critics accusing him of being hidden away from the public and the press. 

Supporters of the former foreign secretary credit Mr Duncan Smith's elevation to the role of campaign chairman for the back to basics approach as allies said his advisers needed to let Mr Johnson do what he does best. 

The sight of the former mayor of London out and about meeting voters has been a fixture of British politics for almost 15 years and he has forged a reputation as a formidable campaigner. 

Allies said an apparent strategy of keeping Mr Johnson away from the cameras may have been wise when MPs were voting to select the final two candidates last week. 

But they believe the Tory grassroots members who will now decide between Jeremy Hunt and Mr Johnson will 'want to see the Boris they are familiar with'. 

Team Johnson will hope Mr Duncan Smith's new prominent role will help stabilise a campaign which was rocked by a row last Friday between the former foreign secretary and girlfriend Carrie Symonds which prompted neighbours to call the police. 

The move represents an apparent sidelining of James Wharton, the former Tory MP, who had been running the show.

One Tory MP said the decision to send Mr Johnson out to meet voters in Richmond in south west London and in Surrey this afternoon was linked to Mr Duncan Smith's new role. 

They told MailOnline: 'It is a very positive move. He is obviously a Brexiteer which is really important. 

'I think that Boris's strong suit is he is committed to taking us out of the European Union and has been repeating the October 31 deadline constantly. 

'I think Iain Duncan Smith will be helpful in delivering the support of the Brexit wing of the party. 

'James is a very able guy but IDS has got the stature.'

Team Johnson insisted Mr Duncan Smith would be working closely with Mr Wharton in the coming weeks. 

But supporters of Mr Johnson believe the former cabinet minister has been handed a more prominent role in order to get the best out of his chosen candidate as well as to bolster his Eurosceptic credentials with the Tory rank and file.

It is thought Mr Johnson's campaign will now be more proactive after Mr Duncan Smith's appointment. 

One Tory MP told MailOnline: 'That's part of the plan. There has been a strong feeling that he has been not served well in being told to keep his head down. 

'There was some sense in that when he was going through the Parliamentary process.

'But now he needs to appeal to the party as a whole and they will want to see the Boris they are familiar with.' 

Concerns have been raised in recent days by supporters of Mr Johnson about the advice he has been getting after he was largely kept away from the public. 

A Tory MP told the Telegraph: 'The campaign is like watching a car crash. He is getting bad advice.'

Source: Daily Mail

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