Lib-Dem minister: Tory European allies 'quite nutty'

A Lib-Dem Foreign Office minister branded David Cameron's European allies "quite nutty", it was disclosed today.

Jeremy Browne also said Conservative immigration policy was driven by "uncharitable instincts" and was "very harsh".

The minister said he would not apologise for his remarks, which he made to undercover reporters from the Daily Telegraph who he thought were members of the public.

"They are quite nutty and that's an embarrassment to them," he said of the European Conservatives and Reformists, a coalition of Right-wing parties that the Tories are allied with.

Mr Browne's boss, Foreign Secretary William Hague, helped to create the grouping and has defended its president, Polish MEP Michal Kaminski, from accusations of anti-Semitism.

Mr Browne is responsible for the Caribbean and South America.

Lib-Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable, who will appear in a Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, also made unguarded remarks to the reporters.