CONSERVATIVE leader Michael Howard is being urged to throw under fire MP Ann Winterton out of the Parliamentary party.

The call has come from Congleton MEP Chris Davies amid the furore over comments by the Congleton MP.

The comments featured in the Congleton Guardian last month, and were from an article written by Mrs Winterton exclusively for the newspaper.

Mrs Winterton said "the United Kingdom is still, thankfully, a predominantly white, Christian country."

She added - "Some might say we are paying the price for the so-called benefits of the multi-cultural society we keep hearing about, the product of almost uncontrolled immigration and the abuse of asylum."

The article was entitled Time To Fight Once Again For Our Cherished Values, and focused on immigration and the terrorist attacks in London this year.

Cheshire, Halton and Warrington Racial Equality Council reported the comments, which director Shantele Janes described as "extremely offensive," to the Commission for Racial Equality.

MEP Chris Davies is now calling for Michael Howard to withdraw the Conservative Whip from Mrs Winterton.

Mr Howard withdrew the Whip from the Congleton MP in 2004 as a result of a joke at a private dinner party about Chinese cockle pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay.

She had the Whip reinstated a month later after making an "unreserved apology" to Mr Howard for the joke.

Mrs Winterton was sacked in 2002 from the Tory front bench over another joke, this time at a Congleton Rugby Club dinner.

MEP Chris Davies has written to Mr Howard asking what action he intended to take to make clear Mrs Winterton's comments in the Congleton Guardian were unacceptable to the Tory leader and his party.

"The Congleton MP has had the Conservative Whip withdrawn for making remarks some would regard as less insensitive than these," he said.

"Bigotry has no place in British political life, and Mrs Winterton is a repeat offender when it comes to making remarks of this kind.

"This should be a case of three strikes and out."

"At a time when racist attacks on Muslim citizens in our country have increased Mrs Winterton's remarks are less than helpful," said Mr Karim.

Mrs Winterton was unavailable for comment.

Congleton MEP Chris Davies is pictured, far right, outside Congleton Town Hall holding the letter to Mr Howard. With him are fellow North West MEP Saijad Karim, and Rod Fletcher, the leader of the Lib Dems on Congleton Borough Council.