The Prime Minister has given North Swindon MP Michael Wills the job of putting the pride back into Great Britain.

Tony Blair has appointed Mr Wills as the Govern-ment's patriotism envoy.

It will be the Labour junior minister's job to draw up a strategy which will send out the message across the country that the Labour party is committed to a strong and united Britain.

Mr Wills, speaking to a national newspaper at the weekend, defended the term British, denying that it had any racist connotations as was suggested in the recent report by the Runnymede Trust.

He has labelled the report's claims as "profoundly wrong."

"Far from being an encouragement to xenophobia and chauvinism, 'British' for me implies the opposite, it implies a tolerance and openness," he said.

Mr Wills also defended the creation of a European rapid reaction force bringing together soldiers from all over Europe.

He said: "We believe we're being true to the most deep-rooted British tradition, which is engagement with Europe.

"We've been integrally involved with Europe and the rest of the world throughout our history, which is why any vision of Britain that sees us as an island fortress is profoundly unhistorical.

"It doesn't understand where we have come from and who we are."

Most importantly, the message Mr Wills is being charged with getting across to the British public, is the message that the Labour party is an important and integral part of being British.

"We have allowed ourselves in the past to be painted as unpatriotic and that's wrong," he said.

"The Labour Party is deeply rooted in British traditions and values. I would say it represents what's best about British."

The prospective Conser-vative parliamentary candidate for North Swindon, Coun Nick Martin, rubbished the post of his rival, labelling it as more Government spin.

"The Conservative parliamentary members and prospective members have no instruction to be patriotic, because we do not need it," said Coun Martin who represents the Shaw and Nine Elms ward.

"We are innately patriotic and we work to protect the United Kingdom and its residents.

"One has to be slightly cynical about instruction for this kind of spin for the Labour Party. All we will see them do for the next six months is the Labour members going around draping themselves in Union Jacks.''

Coun Martin also attacked the European rapid reaction force, saying the American alliance and NATO is more important.