The British Sports Minister, Mr Tony Banks, last night defiantly insisted he had no plans to resign over his "tasteless" joke comparing the Conservative Party leader, Mr William Hague, to a foetus. He faced renewed confrontation with some in his party yesterday after publication of a magazine interview he gave in July in which he disclosed deep irritation with MP colleagues, many of whom he described as looking "like shit".
With speculation now rife that his days on the front bench are numbered, Mr Banks told Men's Health magazine, in what could inadvertently turn out to be a prophetic statement: "I'm feeling very, very tired . . . not tired enough to jack it in, but very tired . . . I could do with a break."
Last night, he apologised for what he confessed was a "tasteless . . . off the cuff" joke about Mr Hague, made at a Labour conference fringe meeting in Brighton.
Last night, he was in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, to watch his beloved Chelsea in a European Cup Winners' Cup tie.
Questioned in his hotel as to whether he had any intention of quitting, he replied: "Absolutely not." Told by a Sky News reporter that there was a chorus of calls for his resignation back in Britain, including some from Tory MPs, he added, according to a report: "What a surprise. They can join the list."
Earlier, the Secretary of State for International Development, Ms Clare Short, who has several times caused controversy by her own remarks, said Mr Banks's "foetus" jibe was "a horrible, dreadful joke", but added: "Tony is very, very funny and 19 jokes out of 20 work."