RACE erupted as an election issue yesterday after Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Simon Hughes claimed William Hague had helped create a climate of intolerance.

The Tory leader dismissed the attack and in turn accused the Liberal Democrats of "playing the race card", while for Labour, Home Secretary Jack Straw also described Mr Hughes's comments as "incredible".

Fifteen police officers suffered minor injuries during a night of rioting by Asian youths in the troubled Glodwick district of Oldham.

Mr Hughes told GMTV's Sunday programme that the language used by senior Tories like Mr Hague may, indirectly, have helped to fuel racial tensions.

"If politicians talk up things that encourage the view of racial difference then there is an indirect likelihood that will resonate with people, particularly with young people, impressionable people, and increase prejudice," he said.

"We must be very careful with our language and that's why some of us have been very critical of some of the language particularly William Hague and his colleagues have used over the last two years."

Mr Hague flatly rejected any suggestion that his comments on asylum seekers had in any way contributed to the trouble in Oldham. "I reject this accusation. It's an accusation made by parties trying to play the race card themselves. Asylum is an entirely different issue to race," he said.