New calls to scrap Miss World

Miss World's organisers were today under mounting criticism for their "insensitive and irresponsible" attempt to stage the pageant in Nigeria before fleeing to Britain in the face of communal violence.

With British politicians and even Miss England adding their voices to the growing controversy, there have been calls for the show to be scrapped out of respect for the 200 people killed in a wave of religious hatred.

In London Miss World's head, Julia Morley, faces staging the show in the less than glamorous surroundings of Alexandra Palace after she found the rest of the capital's venues unavailable at such short notice.

MPs of all parties said it was obvious that trouble would follow an attempt to hold Miss World in a politically, religiously and tribally divided country such as Nigeria.

Controversy first erupted when some contestants launched a boycott in protest at the case of 30-year-old Amina Lawal, who was sentenced to be stoned to death by an Islamic court for having a child outside marriage. But the arrival of the beauty circus in Nigeria sparked fierce rioting between Christians and Muslims in the north after a newspaper said that if the prophet Mohammed were alive today he would have married one of the contestants.

Miss England Daniella Luan, 22, joined the row on her return from Africa, claiming the 92 contestants had been put in danger despite assurances from Ms Morley there would be "no risk whatsoever". She said: "It was a bit of a risk. I felt threatened. Nigeria was not the best place to hold a beauty pageant. All in all it is the best result to be back in London."

But Labour MP Glenda Jackson said: "They should call the whole thing off as a mark of respect to the people who died in Nigeria. What's the point of such a contest anyway? It's such an antediluvian concept. Miss World has become utterly irrelevant."

Lib-Dem international development spokeswoman Jenny Tonge said: "They should think about stopping the whole thing now. It was extremely insensitive of Morley to put it in Nigeria in the first place.

"I am absolutely appalled. It is so sad for Nigeria because it is a country which is trying to emerge from the developing world and this will set it back."

Caroline Spelman, Tory international development spokeswoman, said Ms Morley must shoulder some of the blame. She said: "There is a degree of responsibility on the part of those who organise international events like this."

She said she would press International Development Secretary Clare Short to review Britain's links with Nigeria in order to try to help prevent a repeat of such a disaster.

Miss Denmark, 22-year-old Masja Juel, who was the first to boycott the event and is still refusing to take part, said: "It is terrible that 200 people had to die before they moved the competition to London.

"Julia Morley and the organisers-should have moved the competition away from Nigeria long ago, when they heard the news that Amina Lawal was to be stoned to death. The violence would never have happened if Miss World was not to be held there and they should never have been there."

Ms Morley blamed the press for the uproar, accusing it of "deliberately tried to tear Nigeria to pieces" in the run-up to the event.

The criticism comes as Miss Lawal's lawyer claimed her client had been misled into urging contestants not to boycott the event. Organisers had published an interview with Miss Lawal by a group opposed to the boycott in which she reportedly said: "Let them come." But Hauwa Ibrahim said Miss Lawal was illiterate and not even aware of the Miss World contest, adding: "She simply gave an answer which she thought would be pleasing."

Ms Ibrahim said she feared Miss Lawal could still be stoned to death despite assurances from the Nigerian government.

Final negotiations over the Alexandra Palace fee for the Miss World event, which is planned for 7 December, are now taking place.