13:37

Labour has condemned the veteran Conservative backbencher Desmond Swayne for describing criticism of Justin Trudeau’s admission he had worn blackface makeup as “the latest absurdity of political correctness”.

In a post on his personal blog, the New Forest West MP said there had been no need for the Canadian prime minister to make a “cringing apology” for wearing what Trudeau called racist makeup to a costume party in 2001.

“It was a themed ‘Arabian Nights’ fancy-dress party for heaven’s sake!” Swayne wrote. “It comes to something when you can’t dress-up as Aladdin without attracting the opprobrium of the ‘great and good’. He would have done better to have said it was an entirely acceptable bit of fun and refused to apologise.”

Swayne went on: “I once went to a ‘Blues Brothers’ themed fancy-dress party as James Brown. I went to some trouble to be as authentic as possible. I can assure readers of this column that I have no intention of apologising.”

Dawn Butler, Labour’s shadow women and equalities secretary, said the comments were “another example of a politician not even trying to understand the history of oppression”.

She said: “The Tories need to explain what action will be taken against him and whether this took place while he was a government minister.”

Trudeau, who is in the midst of a re-election struggle, admitted last week that he could not recall how many times he had worn blackface makeup after footage emerged of a third occasion.