Green MP Caroline Lucas steps down as a patron of Stop the War Coalition over its Paris comments

The Brighton MP is said to be uneasy about recent comments by the group

Green MP Caroline Lucas, who represents Brighton Pavilion consituency (PA)

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has stepped down as a patron of the anti-war group Stop the War Coalition, she has announced.

Ms Lucas, a former leader of her party and its only representative in the House of Commons, had previously been STWC’s vice president but stepped down as a patron of the group a number of weeks ago.

A spokesperson for the MP said she made the decision to withdraw from the group, which was set up in 2001 to oppose US and allied invasions of Middle Eastern countries, after she disagreed with statements it had made after the Paris terror attacks,

“Caroline was specifically troubled by some Stop the War Coalition statements after the Paris atrocities. Though the pieces were subsequently taken down she felt unable to associate herself with them,” a spokesperson said.

“She was also concerned that some Syrian voices were not given an opportunity to speak at a recent meeting organised by the STWC in Parliament.

“STWC has played an important role in building the anti-war movement in Britain, and Caroline will continue to work in support of peace.”

Stop the War has recently faced criticised on social media and by MPs after the group’s Twitter account said Paris had “reaped the whirlwind” of its foreign policy after the gun and bomb attacks.

That tweet was later deleted.

Ms Lucas’s spokesperson also apparently referred to an incident in early November in which Syrians were reportedly not allowed to speak from the floor at one of the group’s events in Parliament.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is also a patron of the group. Labour MP Tristram Hunt earlier this month asked Mr Corbyn to think again about attending a fundraising dinner hosted by the organisation, branding it “disreputable”.

Mr Corbyn pulled out of the group's annual conference this year, citing a busy diary.

The group was the main organiser of the largest public demonstration in British history, against the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Between 750,000 and two million people are estimated to have attended the march.

A spokesperson for Stop the War Coalition told the Independent: “Caroline Lucas indicated a month ago that she wished to step back from involvement in Stop the War.

“However, we are delighted that both Caroline and Green party leader Natalie Bennett have spoken on Stop the War platforms since to condemn the bombing of Syria.

“We very much welcome their continued support and that of many Green Party activists.”