Helen Liddell in the Press

Liddell offers breakfast and a tour to editor

BENEDICT BROGAN, Political Editor in

HELEN Liddell yesterday offered the editor of the London Evening Standard a full English breakfast and a guided tour of the Underground in an attempt to defuse a racism row that could sour her relations with the capital's commuters.

The Transport Minister wrote to Max Hastings with her peace proposal after London's local paper renewed its attack on her handling of the London Underground crisis.

Scottish MPs complained on Monday that a leading article in the Standard used unacceptably "racist" language to question the way Mrs Liddell allowed information on yet more Tube closures to slip out in a Commons written answer while she was in her Scottish constituency.

The paper, which is pressing the Government to tackle the chaos that has gripped the over-stretched and under-funded Underground, suggested Mrs Liddell was "hiding in her kilt" and "practising Highland dancing" in her Airdrie and Shotts constituency.

The unhappy reaction of Scottish MPs failed to impress Mr Hastings, who returned to the fray yesterday. Alongside a cartoon of Mrs Liddell in full Highland dress dancing a jig, he penned another editorial which declared: "Commuters suffering on the Tube today may shed a tear at the thought of poor Mrs Liddell sobbing in her kilt in the Department of Transport ladies' convenience.

"But most of us feel far, far more inclined to sob for the plight of London's Tube travellers, at the mercy of a Government which cannot get a grip of transport."

Later, on Radio Scotland, Mr Hastings branded suggestions that his remarks were racist as "political correctness gone too far". He said London needed a Transport Minister "who can hack it".

Mrs Liddell sought to play down the incident: "I do not want to have a fight with Mr Hastings. I have never even met him. But I will buy him a full English breakfast and we can go on the Underground together." - July 7