LIBERAL Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has defended a councillor accused of racism by a political rival.

Carol Woods, deputy leader of Durham City Council and the party's parliamentary candidate for the city, has been accused by the city's Labour MP, Roberta Blackman-Woods, of making a "thinly-veiled racist remark'' in a newsletter.

In an article on plans for a unitary council, Ms Woods is quoted as saying that Dr Blackman-Woods "was born and bred in Belfast and it is clear she is out of touch with the views of local people".

Dr Blackman-Woods said: "The Lib Dems have offended anyone who fell in love with Durham as a student or adult and chose to make it their home, by branding them as 'outsiders'."

She said that "thinly-veiled racist remarks like that are unacceptable".

Mariom Khan-Willis, the chairwoman of the Darlington and Durham Racial Equality Council, said: "Councillor Woods is criticising the MP, not for her stance on a particular issue, which would, of course, be perfectly acceptable political campaigning, but because she was born in Belfast."

But Ms Woods said: "It is obviously not racist.

"She has intentionally misinterpreted what I said. It is laughable. It was to make the point that she did not come from Durham and didn't appear to be interested in the issues affecting Durham - she could easily have been from Birmingham or London."

Sir Menzies visited Durham City yesterday and was greeted by a handful of Labour supporters who asked whether he supported Councillor Woods when he met her and her colleagues.

He said: "Allegations of racism in my view are completely unfounded and I think it is a measure of the anxiety being felt by the sitting Labour MP about a forthcoming General Election that she feels it necessary to embark on unfounded allegations of this kind.

"If instead of born and bred in Belfast you had been born and bred in Glasgow - like me - would that be racist? It is a question of fact.''

Labour group deputy leader on the city council, Peter Mitchell, who was among the Labour activists who met Sir Menzies, said: "We want to ask for a statement on racism - whether it is an isolated incident or is party policy."