Grey squirrels are ‘Hamas of squirrel world’, MP says in Westminster debate

An MP described grey squirrels as the "Hamas of the squirrel world" during a debate in Parliament on Tuesday, 28 November.

Jim Shannon, DUP MP for Strangford, compared the animals to the militant group while MPs discussed control of the grey squirrel population.

Thanking a local group for their work protecting the future of the red squirrel in his constituency, Mr Shannon said: "The issue is the very presence of grey squirrels."

The Woodland Trust says the introduction of grey squirrels has had a "disastrous" on the red species as they carry the squirrelpox virus and compete with the native species to food.