Tory 'accepts' race joke sacking

Mr Duncan Smith acted swiftly to sack Mrs Winterton

The husband of a senior Tory sacked for telling a racist joke has said she "accepts with sadness" that she must quit the front bench.

Shadow rural affairs minister Ann Winterton was sacked by Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith on Sunday after telling an "unacceptable" joke at a rugby club dinner.

Her husband Nicholas, also a Conservative MP, said his wife was "very saddened" at what had happened.

He added: "The leadership of the party has taken a decision. That decision is accepted without question... there is going to be no question or complaining about the decision.

"Both of us accept that decision with sadness and we will give the party our support as we have always done in the past."

Nicholas Winterton: "No question or complaining"

The joke, told at a dinner in Mrs Winterton's Cheshire constituency of Congleton, had as its punchline an Englishman throwing a Pakistani out of a train, saying they were "10 a penny" in his country.

The 61-year-old MP issued a swift apology saying: "I unreservedly apologise if anyone was offended or took offence to what I said."

Mr Duncan Smith offered Mrs Winterton the chance to resign but she refused and he told her to stand down.

'Lack of judgement'

The Tory leader said: "I believed her remarks were offensive to a large number of people and from a member of the shadow cabinet I thought that was unacceptable."

Mr Duncan Smith said he hoped the "swiftness" with which he sacked Mrs Winterton had "drawn a line" under the controversy.

Calls for her sacking had been led by senior black Conservative peer Lord Taylor of Warwick.

Lord Taylor said it showed an "appalling lack of political judgment" and called for the Tories to be "proactive" on racism.

The joke was unfortunate particularly in light of the fact that three BNP councillors were elected in Burnley this week

Commission for Racial Equality

BBC political correspondent Norman Smith said some Tories would think Mrs Winterton had been unfairly treated, but added: "I suspect those voices are on the fringes.

"Undeniably most people in the party will think this is completely unacceptable."

Tony Cupper, chair of Congleton Conservative Association, said she should have resigned before being fired.

But he added: "I have known Ann for many, many years and I have never heard her say anything or do anything that would lead one to believe that she was racist in any form."

The Commission for Racial Equality described Mrs Winterton's joke as "unfortunate", adding that this was particularly so "in the light of the fact that three British National Party councillors were elected in Burnley this week".

'Extremely bad'

It said it was encouraged by the dismissal and applauded Mr Duncan Smith for showing leadership.

Lord Taylor of Warwick had called for her to go

Liberal Democrat party chairman Mark Oaten said: "It is staggering that there are still senior politicians in the Conservative Party making jokes of this kind.

"Although Iain Duncan Smith has done the right thing in sacking her it does beg the question of fundamental the reforms of the Conservative Party really are."

Mrs Winterton was expected to return to London on Monday after spending the weekend in Cheshire.