Oxford Tories suspended over 'racist jokes'

Two student Tories have been suspended from the party after making racist jokes during a meeting of the Oxford University Conservative Association [OUCA].

At a drunken hustings for the next president of the association - which includes a host of Tory politicians among its alumni - student politicians were invited to outperform each other with racist jokes. A master of ceremonies told them to repeat 'the most inappropriate joke you have ever told'.

Last Sunday Nick Gallagher, who was running for the post of Political Officer, a role that requires him to liaise with Tory central office, was also asked to name his least favourite minority.

Just hours before the BNP secured two members of the European parliament, Mr Gallagher, who is currently Publications Officer, allegedly said: "What do you say when you see a television moving around in the dark? Drop it nigger or I'll shoot you!".

Another student at the meeting reportedly made a joke about a family of black people being lynched.

A source who was at the meeting said: "Everybody laughed their heads off. When one person raised concerns he [Gallagher] said it was ok because it was a joke made by Chris Rock, the American comedian, who is black, which obviously makes it fine. Another made a joke about a black family of three getting lynched. Nobody booed.

"I can't believe they said things like that. To think that these guys are going to be running the country makes me shudder".

Mr Gallagher, originally from Philadelphia, USA, admitted that he made the jokes but claimed that he was being quoted out of context. "This was a misunderstanding", he said. "What I said wasn't intended that way and it is to my regret that the association [OUCA] has been dragged into this."

The patron of OUCA is former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher, and Shadow Foreign Secretary and former Tory leader William Hague is honorary president. The late Tory Prime Minister Edward Heath was a president in his student days, and Schools Secretary Ed Balls was also a member, but switched allegiance to Labour after graduating.

Former Tory leader Michael Howard was due to speak to OUCA last night but pulled out in disgust at reports of the racist remarks.

They will come as a fresh blow to the public relations campaign spearheaded by Tory leader David Cameron, who has worked hard to rebrand his party. Mr Cameron was admonished by parts of the Tory Establishment for favouring women and members of ethnic minorities in his controversial 'A' List of prospective parliamentary candidates, but insisted it was necessary to show his party was representative of modern Britain.

All the officers of OUCA are white. President Anthony Boutall said: "I cannot reiterate strongly enough that OUCA has no place for racism, and abhors and rejects all racial prejudice". He also said that he'd called a disciplinary committee that would examine what had happened.

Founded in 1924, OUCA has over 650 members and is one of the oldest student political organisations in the country.

Last December, the University under-21 rugby team were ordered to attend a "cultural diversity" lesson after organising a dinner whose invitation demanded "bring a fit Jew". Other members were photographed 'blacked up' at an African-themed dance.

Nor is it the first time a young Tory has been embroiled in a race row. In October 2007, a photograph of Emma Pentreath, an aide to Greg Hands MP, showing her face painted black with a burned cork, was posted on Facebook, the social networking site. It was accompanied by a caption which read: "Emma's career in politics lies in tatters after she follows [Tory MP] Anne Winterton's lead and dresses as a 'Nigger Minstrel' ". The person who had posted the captioned picture, fellow Tory aide Philip Clarke, was suspended from the party and said, "I behaved very stupidly and I bitterly regret it".