Senior Tory is branded 'racist' and 'sexist' over Spice Girls joke

William Hague was facing another embarrassing Tory defection last night after the Spice Girls found themselves the butt of a tasteless joke by one of the party's senior MPs.

William Hague was facing another embarrassing Tory defection last night after the Spice Girls found themselves the butt of a tasteless joke by one of the party's senior MPs.

The pop group, who once described themselves as "true Thatcherites", were decidedly unhappy that Liam Fox, the Tory health spokesman, had besmirched their good name.

Dr Fox was forced to apologise when it was revealed that he had told guests at a Commons Christmas party: "What do you call three dogs and a blackbird? Answer: The Spice Girls." Clearly unamused by the remark, a spokesman for the group said: "One thing is for sure - no one has ever heard of Liam Fox so no one would bother making offensive jokes about him."

Coming just days after Mr Hague's criticism of the Macpherson report's effects on policing, Labour was quick to seize on the controversy as further proof of the Tories' insensitivity on race matters. The party claimed the joke was clearly "racist" and "sexist" and pointed out that Dr Fox had earlier this year called for foreign doctors to take a tougher English test before practising in the UK.

Denis Macshane, Labour MP for Rotherham, said: "The Tories should accept that race, openly, covertly or indirectly or in jokes is not a laughing matter for modern British politicians."

In a brief statement, Dr Fox said he was sorry for making the remark. "In repeating a widely-circulated joke, I very much regret if anyone was offended. I naturally apologise if any offence was caused," he said.

A spokesman for Mr Hague said Dr Fox was right to apologise. "William naturally deprecates racist or indeed sexist jokes," he said. With unfortunate timing, the controversy coincided with a Tory announcement that Mr Hague had agreed to sign an anti-race "compact" drawn up by the Commission for Racial Equality similar to that used in the 1997 general election to ensure that no major party would use race for political gain.