LONDON, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Britain's Conservative Party has dismissed a member of parliament for refusing to apologize for making a racist joke at an international dinner in London.
Party leader Michael Howard dismissed Ann Winterton for disparaging remarks she made about the Feb. 5 deaths of Chinese cockle-pickers at Morecambe Bay, The Times of London reported Thursday.
It is the second time Winterton has been in trouble for making racist jokes. In May 2002, she was sacked from the party's front parliamentary bench after a previous attempt at humor saw her refer to Pakistanis being thrown off a train.
In a statement, Howard said a demand for an apology went unheeded after the Tuesday dinner incident.
"Ann Winterton's remarks about the tragic deaths in Morecambe Bay were completely unacceptable," the statement said. "Such sentiments have no place in the Conservative Party. I deplore them and I apologize for them on behalf of my party."
