Tories warned against racist views

Conservative Party chairman Michael Ancram has written to all the party's prospective parliamentary candidates, reminding them not to express racist views during the election campaign, it emerged today.

Mr Ancram's letter was dated March 26, just two days before the publication in the national press of comments by veteran Tory backbencher John Townend - who is stepping down at the election - that immigrants had undermined Britain's "Anglo-Saxon society".

The Independent quoted the confidential memo as telling candidates they should "avoid using language which is likely to generate racial or religious hatred".

It added: "The Conservative Party is utterly opposed to racial discrimination. We believe in a Britain where what matters is your talent and effort, not the colour of your skin or who your parents were."

Labour MP Fraser Kemp told the paper that the letter showed the Tories were worried about the possibility of "racist outbursts" from their PPCs.

He added: "It's going to take more than a memo to shift the fundamentally right-wing and bigoted opinions of today's Tory party."

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