The Government has rejected a code of conduct aimed at preventing politicians from stirring up racial hatred during election campaigns.

The proposed set of standards for parliamentarians was put forward by the United Bermuda Party (UBP) after losing the last General Election in 2003.

The Opposition claimed it had been subject to "slurs" during that campaign by the Progressive Labour Party (PLP), including its black members being described as only having "suntans".

A working party comprising members of both sides was set up three years ago but the proposal only went before the PLP's caucus meeting of MPs and senators on Wednesday night.

Sports Minister Dale Butler, a member of the working party, told yesterday that the PLP had considered the UBP's report on the code and rejected it.

"There's no reason or anything else, no other statement," he said. "We just decided that that was it, no, we rejected it."

He admitted that it had taken a "long time" for the party to look at the plan. "We haven't been able to find time to examine it," he said.

Jamahl Simmons, UBP spokesman on race, said he was "very disappointed" by the decision. "We would hope that they would come back with some suggestions of their own.

"We collectively have to show leadership on this issue. For too long we have been fighting elections on race and it hasn't gotten us anywhere.

"It can't just be us putting forward suggestions and them rejecting them. We were hoping that we could begin to have a productive dialogue on the issue. It's unfortunate that they don't see it like that."

Deputy UBP leader Michael Dunkley said: "I'm not surprised. Any time we have had initiatives that we thought would make elected personnel more accountable, they have rejected it right off the bat."

The code set out five principles for parliamentarians to agree to abide by. They were:

? to represent the interests of all constituents regardless of race, sex, colour, religion or any other discriminating factor and promote good race relations;

? to reject all forms of racial violence, racial harassment and unlawful racial discrimination;

? not to publish, or seek to have published by others, or in any way endorse any material, likely to generate hostility or division between people of different racial, national or religious groups;

? to ensure that in any dealings with the public no words or actions are used which may encourage, instruct or put pressure on others to discriminate, or stir up racial or religious hatred, or lead to prejudice on grounds of race, nationality or religion.

? to make sure everyone involved in their party's campaign for election pledges to abide by the principles and to call on all those involved in promoting or reporting political debate, especially the media, to do the same.

By adopting the code of conduct, the two political parties would have agreed to investigate any breach of the principles and take action against anyone within the parties who knowingly failed to comply with them.

This could have included being removed from any formal role in an election campaign or being kicked out of the party.

Politicians in the UK have adopted similar principles produced by the country's Commission for Racial Equality.