Cabinet minister's remark prompts gay Tory anger

A CABINET minister faced a backlash yesterday after claiming that the Conservative Party was still plagued by MPs who opposed gay rights.

Openly gay Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said a "deep strain of homophobia still exists on the Conservative benches" in the Commons. Chris Bryant, another gay Labour minister, said: "If gays vote Tory, they will rue the day very soon."

This prompted an angry response from shadow Commons leader Alan Duncan, one of two gay men on the Tory front bench. He accused Labour of "stirring up hatred", after a poll found gay voters were more likely to vote Tory at the general election. Mr Duncan said: "Bradshaw and Bryant are simply trying to stir up hatred and division from the last century."

He was later forced to defend his use of taxpayer-funded second allowances after reports that he claimed home loan costs for a property on which he had no mortgage.

Mr Duncan bought his constituency home in 1992 using a loan secured against his "main" London property. It was reported he claimed back interest on that mortgage from the public purse until in 2004 he took out a £271,000 mortgage against the second home and began to claim £1,400 a month for that.