Tory plan against 'PC silliness'

Mr Davies called political correctness "nonsense"

The Conservative Party are considering adopting a tactic from their New Zealand counterparts and appointing a "political correctness eradicator".

Tory MP Philip Davies, who was elected this year, said he wanted to wage a campaign against "this silliness."

He cited the example of a Somerset museum which took BC (Before Christ) off labels to avoid "offence".

He is considering inviting a delegation from New Zealand's right-wing National Party, who appointed a PC eradicator.

'Nonsense'

Mr Davies, MP for Shipley in West Yorkshire, told the BBC "Somebody decided that BC - Before Christ - was going to be offensive to other religions, so they changed BC to BP, which was Before the Present, I think it stood for.

"Examples like this happen all the time and we'd like to try and make people aware of it so they can fight back and say to people, we've had enough of this nonsense."

We'd like to try and make people aware of it so they can fight back and say to people, we've had enough of this nonsense Philip Davies MP

The National Party recently contested New Zealand's general election on a platform which included fighting a proposed ban on smacking and public smoking, and repealing some welfare benefits and special voting rights for indigenous Maori.

Mr Davies said he believed British political correctness was only a passing fad.

"There will come a point, and I think we're very near that point now, where the silent majority, the bulk of decent people say I've had enough of this and we're going to start rolling back the tide and I want to play my part in rolling back that tide," he said.

The National Party closed the gap markedly in New Zealand's election in September although Labour's Helen Clark held on to power by forming a coalition with smaller parties.