11 August 2006

Labour MP apologies for 'in-bred' remark

Labour MP Ian Gibson has apologised for suggesting that 'inbreeding' may have contributed to a rise in cases of diabetes among children in his Norfolk constituency.

Speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk on Thursday, the MP for Norwich North suggested that there could be genetic reasons for the high number of cases of Type 1 diabetes.

Mr Gibson made his comments after new research showed that more than 345 children in Norfolk suffered from Type 1 diabetes, more than double the 160 predicted cases for the county.

Environmental factors and infections have also been blamed for the increase in Type 1 diabetes cases, which are rising by around 4% each year, Diabetes UK has reported.

Mr Gibson's remarks were called "disgraceful" by Dr Ketan Dhatariya, a diabetologist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. He told reporters that the remarks were an "insult" to people with Type 1 diabetes and their families, as well as the people of Norfolk, and that there was no suggestion that this was the case.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Friday, Mr Gibson apologised "unreservedly" for his remarks. He said that words such as inbreeding and outbreeding were professional genetic terms, but said that the public had different connotations of them.

(KMcA)