Lee Kuan Yew, who served as Singapore's prime minister from 1965 until 1990 and still holds the third most powerful position in government, lamented in a speech to his party faithful on Sunday the declining standards in Britain.

Britons' apparent poor manners, general sexual outlook and conduct of  their politicians all came in for criticism from the the 81-year-old Cambridge University-trained lawyer.

"The people of Britain of the 1940s where I was a student were a cultivated people, polite and well-mannered, always helpful to the old and weak on buses and trains," Lee said.

"Now the texture of British society is rougher. Courtesy is less evident."

Lee cited as an example the current parliamentary conduct of British politicians.

"MPs are no longer polite to each other, but shout each other down in parliament," he said, before turning his attention to general community standards.

"Their social and sexual mores are no longer prim and proper."

Lee expressed further disdain for the efforts of British politicians, as well as the media, in encouraging apathy.

"Their media and politicians are anti-elitist, denigrating excellence, wanting to dumb other people down to the lowest common demoninator, to avoid anyone being inferior," he said.

Lee also warned that Britain's prestigious universities, such as Cambridge, were now being pressured to take in students from state schools who did not have top grades.

"So students of their public schools of excellence are disadvantaged by not getting their students into the top universities," he said.

"Singapore must never go this way."

Lee was speaking at the 50th anniversary of the People's Action Party, which he founded and used as a vehicle to lead Singapore to nationhood in 1965.

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