Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has sacked the party’s health spokeswoman in the House of Lords, Jenny Tonge, after she made allegations relating to the trafficking of human organs in Haiti in an interview for the Jewish Chronicle.

BBC News reports that Baroness Tonge told the Jewish Chronicle that an inquiry was needed into claims that Israeli troops sent to Haiti in the aftermath of January’s earthquake were harvesting human organs.

Mr Clegg said that her comments were ‘wrong, distasteful and provocative’ and removed her from her post, adding that she had apologised ‘unreservedly’ for the comments.

Baroness Tonge is a patron of the website the Palestine Telegraph, which published the comments made to the Jewish Chronicle.

‘The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] and the Israeli Medical Association should establish an independent inquiry immediately to clear the names of the team in Haiti,’ said Baroness Tonge – who added that the allegations about organ trafficking had already appeared on YouTube.

On Friday evening (12/02/10), Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said that the comments were ‘highly offensive’.

‘…I recognise the deep and understandable distress they have caused to the Jewish community,’ he said.

‘While I do not believe that Jenny Tonge is anti-semitic or racist, I regard her comments as wholly unacceptable. Jenny Tonge apologises unreservedly for the offence she has caused.’

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