British agents spied on the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in the run-up to the Iraqi war, the former International Development Secretary Clare Short claimed today. This is the second time she has made a racist, sensitive and totally unfunny remark.”She’s a well-educated woman, but with no common sense. It seems to me most people may tell a joke privately which they wouldn’t want broadcast.”But when people have died in such a horrible way, it seems awful to joke about it.”Lord Taylor of Warwick, a black Tory peer, said he was shocked by the Mrs Winterton’s comments.He said: “Michael Howard was quite right to take quick and decisive action on sacking Ann Winterton.”She simply does not learn from past mistakes. She reportedly referred to two sharks who were sick of eating tuna and so one said: “Let’s go to Morecambe for a Chinese.”. The Tory MP Ann Winterton was sacked from the Parliamentary Conservative Party today after publicly joking about the deaths of the Chinese cocklers who drowned at Morecambe Bay.

Michael Howard said he was withdrawing the whip from Mrs Winterton after she refused to apologise and withdraw her comments made during an after-dinner speech. If Mr Howard stands aside after the next election, Sir Malcolm even become Prime Minister in 2009, aged 63.* Ann Winterton, MP for Congleton, was sacked from the Parliamentary Conservative Party yesterday after publicly joking about the deaths of the Chinese cocklers who drowned at Morecambe Bay earlier this month. When he returned to the platform for his speech of thanks, only “around 55 per cent” of the audience gave him a standing ovation, one insider said.Sir Malcolm admitted that he had been “terrified” by the grilling he received from Mr Neil. “There was no mercy shown and that was absolutely right and proper,” he said.But when asked repeatedly if he now felt he would return to the Tory frontbench, he simply replied that he would concentrate on being a local candidate.Five years younger than Michael Howard, the 57-year-old former MP still has time to fulfil his ambition of becoming Tory leader. “But they’re not abolishing Edinburgh, are they Sir Malcolm?” Mr Neil responded, to laughter from those gathered in Kensington Town Hall. The broadcaster’s performance was so impressive that Mrs Ritchie even suggested that he would have made a wonderful MP.Mr Neil went easier on the other candidates, in deference to their lack of experience. Nick Hurd, the son of another former foreign secretary, Lord Hurd, impressed, as did young local councillor Mary Weale.

Warwick Lightfoot, a former aide to Lord Lamont, was the least impressive, observers said.Afterwards, two of the younger members of the association, Paula-Ann Hawkins and her friend Christina Barton, were both impressed by the youthful Ms Weale “The average age in there was about 70. You could say Mary has youth on her side and she is so good she has time to get another seat. You could say that he [Sir Malcolm] had age on his side tonight,” Ms Hawkins said.Mr Portillo was reticent after the result, hurrying off with his wife, Caroline. To applause from some, Mr Neil asked why Sir Malcolm had not stayed in Scotland to rebuild the shattered Tory Partynorth of the border.Sir Malcolm faltered before pointing out that Pentlands was being abolished by a boundary review. We all have cause to be frightened of the growing extremism in Europe today.”Mr Duggan became involved with the Schiller Institute in Paris, where he was studying.According to an internal Metropolitan Police report submitted to the coroner, Mr La Rouche’s organisation has “sinister and dangerous connections”, preaches anti-Semitic views – including blaming Jewish people for the Iraq conflict – and uses “physical and mental manipulation” to coerce young recruits.. We really do expect the German authorities, who have laws against incitement to hatred, to act speedily. Peter Kallaghe, director of communications for the Tanzanian President, Benjamin Mkapa, could not confirm the amount of aid offered..