"When you ask most people in the Black Country what the single biggest problem facing the country is, most say immigration. Many insist: 'Enoch Powell was right'. Enoch, once MP for Wolverhampton South-West, was sacked from the Conservative front bench and marginalised politically for his 1968 'rivers of blood' speech, warning that uncontrolled immigration would change our country irrevocably. He was right. It has changed dramatically."
"...They have more or less given up complaining about the way we roll out the red carpet for foreigners while leaving the locals to fend for themselves."
These are some of the words penned by Nigel Hastilow for Wolverhampton's Express & Star. Mr Hastilow, the Tory candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, has been summoned to see Party Chairman Caroline Spelman MP later today to explain his remarks.
Mr Hastilow's remarks will only add to his reputation as a loose cannon. When our candidate for Birmingham Edgbaston during the 1997-2001 parliament a piece on his website caused substantial embarrassment for William Hague. Tony Blair quoted it at PMQs.
He has also written that the Guantanamo facility "reduces every nation which connives in its existence to the same low level as the vile terrorists it purports to defend us from."
10.45am update:
Speaking on Sunday AM the Shadow Chancellor refused to be drawn on what action, if any, should be taken against Mr Hastilow. He said that he did not want to pre-judge the candidate's meeting with Caroline Spelman - due later today. Mr Osborne did say that it was important for all public figures to approach these subjects in a "reasonable way" and use "moderate" language. He criticised Gordon Brown's "British jobs for British workers" slogan as "particularly nasty" and "trying to play to a particular court". Shadow Home Secretary Davis has called the remarks "very unwise" and that it would be "very sensible" for Mr Hastilow to withdraw his article.
Earlier on Sunday AM, Labour's Peter Hain said that the remarks exposed the Conservative Party's "racist underbelly".
2pm: Labour MP Tom Watson reveals that Nigel Hastilow needs to clean up the threads on his blog, too.
