Race row MP 'bruised' after sacking

The Tory front-bencher sacking by David Cameron for suggesting being called a "black bastard" was part of Army life for ethnic minority soldiers has said he feels 'bruised' by the row.

	Patrick Mercer said he 'deeply regretted' any offence

Mr Cameron said the remarks by Patrick Mercer, his homeland security spokesman, were "completely unacceptable".

Mr Mercer, an Army colonel before becoming an MP, apologised for his comments saying he "deeply regretted" any offence they had caused.

But today said he felt that his remarks had been taken out of context.

"I think the most mendacious angle was taken on what I said," he said.

"I am a bit bruised. I am very sorry if I have caused offence to the fantastic people who I commanded, many of whom were black and ethnic minorities."

Mr Mercer said his removal from the front bench was a "blessing" in some ways, as the back benches allowed him "greater freedoms".

But he added: "The work I was doing on security was terribly important and I regret I am not going to finish that."

Labour and the Liberal Democrats seized on the remarks, claiming they showed the Conservatives were still the "nasty party" and had not changed under Mr Cameron's leadership.

Mr Mercer, who served for 25 years, told an interviewer he came across a lot of ethnic minority soldiers "who were idle and useless, but who used racism as cover for misdemeanours". It was commonplace for troops to be given a hard time over their ethnicity, the colour of their hair, or because they were overweight.

He said: "I had five company sergeant majors who were all black. They were without exception UK-born, Nottingham-born men who were English - as English as you and me.

"They prospered inside my regiment, but if you'd said to them, 'Have you ever been called a nigger?' they would have said: 'Yes'. But equally, a chap with red hair, for example, would also get a hard time - a far harder time.

"But that's the way it is in the Army. If someone is slow on the assault course, you'd get people shouting: 'Come on you fat bastard, come on you ginger bastard, come on you black bastard', " he told The Times Online.

A Tory spokesman attempted to play down Mr Mercer's comments, saying they were a "private matter". But, as soon as Mr Cameron - who was visiting the West Midlands - saw the full text of the remarks he contacted key aides in London and they agreed Mr Mercer would have to go.

One of those present said the Tory leader was clear that the party had to show "zero tolerance" to any suggestion of racism in the Army or anywhere else.

It was the first time that Mr Cameron has sacked a member of his front-bench team for an indiscretion. Tory MPs said the speed of Mr Mercer's dismissal - he quit within two hours - showed a more ruthless side of the Conservative leader.

While Mr Cameron accepted that Mr Mercer was not racist, the MP's comments were seized on by Labour to undermine his efforts to show the Tories had changed into an inclusive party that welcomed ethnic minorities.

In a terse statement, Mr Cameron said: "We should not tolerate racism in the Army or in any walk of life. Patrick Mercer is no longer a shadow minister."

Mr Mercer, MP for Newark, who served in Northern Ireland and Bosnia, made his comments in response to the disclosure that Commonwealth soldiers were forming a trade union amid complaints of racism and abuse.

He dismissed their complaints as "absolute nonsense, complete and utter rot".

But Leroy Hutchinson, a black corporal who served with Mr Mercer for 12 years, said: "He never tolerated racism and not a single one of his men would consider him to be racist."