NORTH Swindon MP Michael Wills says he is "incandescent with rage" over an article in a Sunday newspaper claiming his wife is spearheading a campaign to stop homeless and immigrant families living near their £1 million London home.

The Mail on Sunday claims mother of five Jill Wills is leading a residents' protest against a scheme to house 160 families in a former NHS nurses' home in the North London suburb of Belsize Park.

But Mr Wills says the story is "absolutely not true", has nothing to do with Swindon and has only been printed to get at him. Mr Wills said his wife only wanted more details on the scheme.

He said: "I'm surprised by this piece. It's astonishing to me that in 2004 The Mail on Sunday still takes such a patronising view of women in regarding them and their views as no more than appendages of their husbands.

"The paper made it clear it was only doing the story because my wife was married to me, but she is a highly intelligent and capable women who has her own views and opinions. It is simply not true she is opposing this development."

The Advertiser asked to speak to his wife, but Mr Wills insisted "she should have her privacy".

The Wills split their time between Belsize Park and a house in Castle Eaton, near Cricklade. Mrs Wills, like her husband, is a former television producer.

Prime Minister Tony Blair appointed Mr Wills his special patriotism envoy in a bid to define Britishness and he delivered a series of passionate speeches praising the contribution foreigners make to Britain. Mr Wills resigned as a Home Office minister in July after becoming frustrated that he was not able to fulfil the ambitions he first entered politics to achieve.