Ken Clarke: Howard Flight remark 'particularly daft'

Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has said he plans to challenge new Conservative peer Howard Flight for saying child benefit changes would encourage the poor to "breed".

Speaking on BBC One's Question Time, Mr Clarke said the remark was ''particularly daft''.

However he accused fellow panellist, shadow culture minister Gloria De Piero, of "synthetic indignation", and dismissed the idea that Mr Flight had no expertise to bring to the House of Lords.

Mr Flight had commented on the government's plans to cut child benefit for top-rate taxpayers. He has since issued an "unreserved" apology.