Thursday 29 March 2001 (ET)

I refuse to keep quiet on race, says rebel MP
By Andrew Sparrow, Political Correspondent

A TORY backbencher claimed yesterday that he was the victim of political correctness as MPs from all parties denounced his views on immigration.

John Townend said he was right to say that Britain's "homogeneous Anglo-Saxon society" had been "seriously undermined" by mass immigration. In a speech he made almost two weeks ago, the MP for Yorkshire East, who is standing down at the next election, said that immigrants were partly to blame for rising crime rates in some areas.

Tony Blair led the chorus of criticism after William Hague came under strong pressure to punish Mr Townend by withdrawing the party whip. However, Mr Townend, 66, whose speech included a tribute to Enoch Powell, said that immigration "did change the character of Britain; nobody can deny that; it is a fact".

In an interview with Today on Radio 4, he said: "Having absorbed that wave of immigration that basically was legal - and then we stopped it by the Immigration Act - we now face another wave and the vast majority of people in this country, including my constituency, are very worried. There is no doubt in this country there is a great political correctness which tries to push many of these things under the table."

In his speech, he said: "If people had been aware that by the new Millennium, London, our capital, would have over 25 per cent of its population from ethnic minorities and that forecasts expect that by 2014 over half of the city will be non Anglo-Saxon, that Leicester and Birmingham would be vying as to which city would have a black majority first, Enoch Powell would have been prime minister."

Mr Blair told the Commons that he would not allow any of his own candidates to use racist language. He told MPs: "Britain benefits from being a multi-cultural, multi-racial society. There's virtually none of us that don't have some blood from other races or nations in us.

In this modern day and age, it is not merely a principle that is morally right, but a principle in our self-interest, that anyone, irrespective of ethnic background, is a full and proper member of our society."

Two weeks ago the main party leaders signed a compact drawn up by the Commission for Racial Equality promising not to let election candidates issue material "likely to generate hostility or division between people of different racial, national or religious groups".

Mo Mowlam, the Cabinet Office minister wrote to Mr Hague saying: "Unless the whip is withdrawn [from Mr Townend], it gives the green light to others in your party to make speeches of this nature."

In a statement, Mr Hague said that Mr Townend's comments were "totally unacceptable" and that they were in conflict with the compact on race relations. However, the agreement covers only election candidates. Tory sources said there was no need to take action against Mr Townend because he was standing down.

The Commission for Racial Equality wrote to all MPs asking them to endorse the pledge. It said yesterday that Mr Townend was so far the only one to have written back saying that he would not sign.

Lord Taylor of Warwick, a black Tory peer, said: "Mr Townend's comments represent a nasty and ignorant element in our society which needs to be condemned."

In Leicester, which was identified by Mr Townend in his speech as a city where blacks would soon be in a majority, Ross Willmott, the council leader, said the MP's speech would undermine race relations. "It is an affront to this city, particularly in the run-up to a general election. There is no question that Leicester's diversity is a strength."