Minister sparks row over Madrid

The presence of EU leaders was a "powerful political message"

Denis Macshane has been criticised for contrasting European solidarity over the Madrid bombings with political disunity in the UK.

The Europe Minister said EU leaders in Spain had shown an "unprecedented display" of European feeling.

By contrast opposition parties in the UK were still obsessed with "petty, rather parochial politics".

The Conservatives have accused him of using tragic events for "tawdry political point-scoring".

In an interview with the BBC Mr MacShane urged the UK to stop discussing the reasons for going to war in Iraq and join the rest of the continent in "unity" against terrorism.

Mr Macshane said he had been taking part in European political demonstrations for 30 years.

"This was the first time when I really felt I was taking part in a European event," he said.

'Iraq obsession'

Leaders from across the political spectrum had turned out to say "Europe is standing together against this terrible atrocity".

"It was a remarkable European phenomenon."

But Britain, he argued, was "still obsessed with fighting the whys and wherefores of using military force to get rid of Saddam Hussein".

"We are obsessed with who said or did or wrote or e-mailed what to whom 18 months or two years ago," he said.

The presence of so many EU leaders - including British deputy prime minister John Prescott - on Madrid's anti-terror march on Friday "was a very powerful political message".

'Political point-scoring'

But Conservative shadow Foreign Minister Michael Ancram stongly denied any suggestion the Tories were spending too much time arguing over the decision to go to war in Iraq.

"It was totally wrong to imply that the Conservative party has ever been anything other than 100% committed to the war on terror," he said.

He added the British people had little time for "cynical manoeuvring" by the Labour government and would instead be thinking of the people of Spain.

Liberal Democrat Chairman Matthew Taylor suggested that Denis Macshane shouldl withdraw his comments or resign.

"All political parties are united in condemning the appalling bombings in Madrid," he said.

"We all need to think long and hard about whether recent policies have made the world a safer place, not indulge in political point-scoring."