Madrid’s president accuses own party leader of ‘cruel’ smear campaign

Isabel Diaz Ayuso says Pablo Casado has tried to destroy her reputation amid reports he hired private investigators

The regional president of Madrid has accused the leadership of her own conservative People's party (PP) of waging a cruel and unfair" campaign to destroy her with false corruption allegations amid reports the party tried to hire private detectives to investigate her family.

Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who is often touted as a future PP leader, spoke out after media reports suggested that, during the first wave of the Covid pandemic, her administration gave a 1.5m contract for face masks to a company linked to her brother - for which he received a commission.