Tom Harris steps down over Alex Salmond jibe

A Labour MP has stepped down from his role as the party's social media adviser in Scotland after he created an online video portraying SNP leader Alex Salmond as Hitler.

 Glasgow South MP Tom Harris posted a video entitled Joan's Downfall (above), a parody of the 2004 German film Downfall which chronicles the final days of Adolf Hitler.

The accompanying subtitles portray Mr Salmond as Hitler, and mock recent comments by SNP MSP Joan McAlpine that Labour and the Liberal Democrats are "anti-Scottish".

Mr Harris said: "Having spoken to Johann Lamont (the Scottish Labour leader), I have decided to step down from leading the party's social media review.

"The video I posted has been a well-worn joke used to parody a range of public figures.

"However context is everything and in the context of Johann's and my desire to improve the level of political debate on social media and the context of Joan McAlpine's much more serious statements about all political opponents of the SNP being anti-Scottish, my actions have been an unhelpful distraction for which I apologise."

A Scottish Labour spokesperson added: "Tom Harris did the decent thing after a lapse of judgment.

"It is about time that Joan McAlpine does the right thing and apologises for her much more serious error of judgment in saying that anyone who opposes the SNP is anti-Scottish.

"By her own logic, she must see that she regards the majority of Scots as anti-Scottish.

"If she doesn't do the decent thing then Alex Salmond should sack her as ministerial aide."

PA