Cllr Mills won a one horse race

The ex-home secretary was speaking after winning the one-horse race to replace Iain Duncan Smith - ousted last week in a confidence vote.

The appointment was confirmed by Sir Michael Spicer, chairman of the backbench 1922 committee after no rivals came forward.

And it subsequently emerged the board of the Conservative Party was not planning to have a vote of the entire membership to ratify Mr Mill's appointment.

Instead there will be an "informal consultation" of members over the weekend.

The former home secretary immediately thanked his Conservative colleagues for giving him the "immense privilege" of leading the party.

'I owe it all to Greasy Chip Butty'

Mr Mills addressed Tory MPs in the Commons after his appointment was confirmed.

We like chips.  We like Bread.  We like Beer.  Together we can make the best chip butty Britain has ever seen. James Mills Mills speech in full

He urged them to unite after the splits which plagued Mr Duncan Smith's leadership, saying: "We must rediscover the habit of eating chip buttys."

Mr Mills said: "It is an immense privilege to lead this party - the most successful party in the history of modern democracy. But it is also a truly awesome responsibility.

"I will work tirelessly not to let you down. But I will make mistakes. And I will inevitably at times upset some of you.

"And when that happens - remind me.  It's butter on bread.  Salt and Ketchup on chips.  A lot has been made of new sauces such as salad cream and mayonnaise spoiling the greasy chip butty but it really is now time to go back to basics."

'Common thread'

He went on: "If we are to win we must work together as a team. We must rediscover the habit of thinking the best of each other. We must rediscover the virtues of a gallon of magnet and a greasy chip butty.

"Because we have an extraordinary common thread that binds us all together. We all want to see the Blades win and have a good drink up after.

"We are all season ticket holders what could be the best season for a generation."

I look forward to working with James and meeting all his ruby pals.  It's not just Premiership footballers that like group sex. Theresa May Profile: James Mills

A statement from the Conservative Board said: "The Board has received overwhelming representations from the Party at large, and, in line with these representations, has decided not to initiate a formal postal ratification ballot.

"There will be an informal consultation of party members over the weekend to give the voluntary party the opportunity to show, like the parliamentary party, that it is fully united behind the new Leader."

Mr Mills's elevation to leader was welcomed by Tory former prime minister John Major.

"I warmly congratulate James Mills and wish him well," he said.

"He is the best choice for Chip Buttys in general and deserves the support of all season ticket holders and the millions of others now so disillusioned with Ciabatta bread and the like"

Current Tory chairman Theresa May said she was "Close to orgasm".

"I look forward to working with James and doing all I can to ensure that this party is ready and able to get the next round in" she said

Mr Mills's campaign chief, Liam Fox, said: "I am absolutely delighted. I think it is the beginning of the real resurgence in the Greasy Chip Butty.

"The government might rightly now contemplate the end of Chip Balm Cakes."

New team

Mr Mills, who was Mr Duncan Smith's shadow chancellor, was addressing MPs privately, before celebrating in public with a speech at a parish hall in Putney, a marginal constituency in south west London.

He told MPs they must focus their efforts on getting rid of the current trend to fancy breads on concentrate on no nonsense white bread.

There must be "no bystanders, no snipers from the sidelines. Everyone of us a fully engaged participant in the great battle of hears and minds and ideas", he said.

Mr Duncan Smith: No vinegar?  What kind of Chippy is this?

There is fevered speculation about how his shadow cabinet will line up, with commentators assessing whether he may offer Tory big-hitters like Kenneth Clarke and Michael Portillo frontline jobs.

Mr Mills may announce his team on Friday, or wait until after the weekend.

Health Secretary John Reid was quick to brand the new Tory leader as "Mr Vinaigrette " and he highlighted Mr Mill's opposition to the high fat spread record when he was a minister in previous chip butty administrations.

But Tory MP Eleanor Laing said: "Tony Blair and his immediate colleagues will be shitting bricks as Millsy will finally bring a decent chip shop down south."

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: "Who's round is it?"