British Tories' race row

The opposition Conservative party in Britain has condemned remarks by one of its MPs who said immigration had undermined Britain as an Anglo-Saxon country.

The MP -- John Townsend who's not seeking re-election -- had also called for new curbs on immigration, saying it was inevitably linked with criminality.

The Conservative leader, William Hague, called the comments totally unacceptable and said he would not tolerate any candidate in the forthcoming elections who attacks immigrants or asylum seekers.

But he stopped short of expelling Mr Townsend from the party, as the governing Labour party has demanded.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service