NO-ONE was more surprised than maverick MP Tony Banks himself when he was made Sports Minister.

But few, including himself, will be surprised if he gets the boot for his latest blunder.

And he deserves it.

For it is not just that his sick joke about Tory leader William Hague being a "foetus" and his party wishing they had voted for abortion is tasteless, it is also that Mr Banks once again exposes himself as a gaffe-prone fool.

We have already witnessed this minister crossing his fingers while taking the loyal oath in the Commons.

We have heard him calling for foreign players to be in the England soccer team - and then saying they would not win the World Cup.

It is one thing for a politician to court controversy, but another to go about giving gratuitous offence.

And, in view of Mr Banks tendency to do it again and again, his post-blunder apologies are a waste of time.

Clearly, Prime Minister Tony Blair does not want the Labour Party conference, upon which Mr Banks' has been the only blot, to be rocked by a ministerial sacking.

But he must dump this clown as soon as he can.

Previous news story

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.