DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott has again called Vale of York Tory MP Anne McIntosh a "twit" - despite her request for him to apologise for the comment.

The Deputy Prime Minister first used the term during a Commons debate on flooding earlier this month.

Miss McIntosh had complained that he had failed to tell her he was coming to her constituency to see the damage caused by the floods, as he should have done by Parliamentary convention.

But Mr Prescott responded: "I met you, you twit."

The new Speaker of the House, Michael Martin, said such language was "not nice", though he did not rebuke Mr Prescott.

Miss McIntosh wrote to Mr Prescott asking him to apologise.

But in a national newspaper, he defended himself, saying: "I just thought she was a twit. When they are a twit, why can't you call them a twit? What's wrong with that?"

Miss McIntosh replied: "If we all reduced ourselves to that level, it would not make for very good theatre, if we just started being rude to each other.

"The whole point of Parliamentary language is to try to be a little bit more imaginative and courteous."

She added that she believed the Speaker would have reprimanded a Tory MP for using the word twit in the Commons.

lMiss McIntosh was today questioning housing minister Nick Raynsford about the impact of the floods in North and East Yorkshire.

She was due to speak with Mr Raynsford when he appears before the House of Commons environment, transport and the regions select committee.

Miss McIntosh said: "I welcome this opportunity to question the Minister on the points that have arisen during the recent floods.

"Following my adjournment debate on the flooding in my Vale of York constituency and, having seen first hand the damage inflicted, I am keen to question the minister on key points such as the need for proper warning measures, the construction of new buildings on flood plains and the problems associated with having so many agencies and organisations involved in managing floods."