Tory MP deletes Twitter account after claiming it would be ‘immoral’ to take more Ukrainian refugees

Daniel Kawczynski faced a furious backlash over the comments

Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski (UK Parliament)

A Conservative MP has deleted his Twitter account following a backlash over comments he made about Ukrainian refugees.

Daniel Kawczynski had said it would be "immoral and illiterate" for Britain to take in more Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

The Shrewsbury MP's view was widely criticised by furious members of the public, and he eventually deleted the post.

On Monday he told his local newspaper that Twitter was "not the platform for me".

Mr Kawczynski said he had used the social network for eight years but that it had "allowed a huge amount of denigration and disinformation".

"Careful press releases and the recording of Parliamentary debates is sufficient as I do not have confidence in Twitter," he told the Shropshire Star.

As of Tuesday morning his account was not visible on the social network.

The MP had originally caused the angry backlash by tweeting: "British left-wing parties demand Britain takes in more Ukrainian refugees.

"This is illiterate and immoral. When war is over Ukrainians will need to return home to rebuild their country.

"We should be supporting Ukrainian refugees in frontline states like Poland and Romania."

He has since claimed the post was misinterpreted. The MP was himself branded “immoral” over the original comments.

Mr Kawczynski is the latest in a string of Conservatives to cause outrage with comments about Ukrainian refugees.

Last month immigration minister Kevin Foster faced calls to quit after appearing to suggest people fleeing the conflict could come to Britain on seasonal agricultural visas to pick fruit.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.