Conservative leader resorts to insults rather than reveal secret loans

Leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, has refused to apologise for describing the UK Independence party as "fruitcakes", "loonies" and "closet racists".

The Conservative leader's remarks came after Ukip threatened to use the Freedom of Information Act to force him to reveal the names of individuals who have secretly lent money to the Conservative party.

Nigel Farage MEP, Ukip's co-founder, described the remarks as "disgraceful. We demand an apology": "We don't mind name-calling, it's politics, but in this day and age there are things you can't call people and racist is one of them," he said. "Fruit cakes and loonies we can live with - we have a sense of humour - but we draw the line at his unfounded accusations of racism." He demanded to know "where and when" Mr Cameron was accusing the party of racism.

Ukip wrote to the information commissioner yesterday to ask for the details of the Conservative loans to be released. David Campbell Bannerman, the party chairman, argues that the disclosure of the information would be in the public interest.

Cameron refuses to apologise to Ukip (The Guardian, 4 April 2005)

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