Ann Winterton has refused to apologise for her joke

Michael Howard said Ann Winterton's refusal to apologise meant that "no purpose would be served by a meeting".

Mrs Winterton, expelled from the parliamentary party, says that she feels like she is the victim.

Her remarks, made at a dinner party, were taken out of context, she says, and she blames "party political venom".

E-mail joke

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's PM programme, Mrs Winterton argued that she had been misrepresented by reports about the joke.

If anyone should apologise it should be the Labour MP who leaked the story Ann Winterton

And she refused to accept that she should apologise for repeating a joke, which she said had been e-mailed to her, about the migrant workers who had drowned in Morecambe Bay.

"If anyone should apologise it should be the Labour MP who leaked the story," said Mrs Winterton.

The MP revealed that Mr Howard had spoken to her on the phone before withdrawing the party whip - but that she had declined to apologise.

Mr Howard had described the joke, and her refusal to apologise, as "completely unacceptable".

Mrs Winterton said the joke about cocklers had been re-told as an example of the type of e-mails that were in circulation.

And if such remarks at a private dinner caused such publicity, she asked: "What kind of world are we living in?"

'Political capital'

Mrs Winterton accused fellow guest at the dinner, Labour MP Nick Palmer, of making "political capital" by publicising her joke.

Mr Howard has refused Mrs Winterton's request for a meeting

"I am personally deeply saddened that offence may have been caused by the inaccurate reporting of what was said at a private occasion," Mrs Winterton had written to Mr Howard.

"That said, I know you will agree that if everything we say in private and at informal gatherings is to be treated as a public pronouncement, then there is clearly no longer any such thing as a free society.

"It has been uncomfortable for us all and was caused by someone motivated purely by party political venom."

'Stunned'

Mrs Winterton said she had received "some lovely flowers" from the dinner party hosts, the Danish shipping firm Maersk, "with a card apologising for the 'gross discourtesy of another guest' at the party".

"I am encouraged to know that they were not offended by anything that was said that evening.

"I should be very happy to meet you to discuss these matters in the very near future," wrote Mrs Winterton - in an offer that has now been firmly rejected.

Dr Palmer said people at the dinner party had been "a bit stunned" by the joke.

Two years ago Mrs Winterton was sacked as shadow cabinet spokeswoman for agriculture for making a racist joke at a rugby club dinner.