Call for sacking over Tory candidate's faked photo

Labour and the Liberal Democrats are calling on Conservative leader Michael Howard to sack an election candidate after it emerged that he 'doctored' a photograph.

Ed Matts, the Conservative candidate for Dorset South, a key marginal seat in the general election, was found to have tampered with a photograph in order to emphasis the Conservatives hard-line immigration policy.

The original photograph showed Mr Matts holding a photograph of an asylum seeker and her family who had been threatened with deportation, accompanied by Ann Widdecombe, who was holding a placard, which said 'Let them stay'.

However, the version which appeared on campaign leaflets had been altered to show Mr Matts holding a placard saying 'Controlled Immigration' instead of the photo and Mrs Widdecombe's holding a placard, which said 'not chaos and inhumanity'.

Health Secretary John Reid wrote to Mr Howard calling for Mr Matts to be sacked. He described Mr Matts as "a disgrace to Dorset" and "a disgrace to politics" and said: "To pose in one picture in support of an asylum seeker and then doctor the same picture for a political stunt is sick."

Mr Reid said that if Mr Matts was not sacked, then "the only conclusion I can come to is that this organised deceit has been sanctioned and organised by the Conservative Party nationally."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: "Howard Flight was sacked by the Conservatives for telling the truth. Ed Matts should be sacked for telling lies."

However, Michael Howard said that Mr Matts would not be sacked although he did say that he should apologise. He said: "It should not have been done and the candidate concerned has apologised for it – and so he should."

Mr Matts issued a statement in which he admitted he had made a "foolish mistake" and said that he "had no intention of causing any embarrassment". The statement said: "However, being involved in an individual asylum case is not inconsistent with the Conservative view that Britain's asylum system is in urgent need of attention."

(KmcA)