Complex sentence: Mr Stone courted controversy in the run up to the 2007 Scottish General Election by branding the Scottish National Party as "xenophobic": he later issued what is best described as a "half apology".
Split into simpler sentences: Mr Stone courted controversy in the run up to the 2007 Scottish General Election by branding the Scottish National Party as "xenophobic". He later issued what is best described as a "half apology".