A Tory MP has suggested people should leave the UK if they do not feel pride in “our flag or Queen”.
Lia Nici, MP for Grimsby, spoke out as Tory politicians have been displaying huge flags in the background during TV interviews.
Robert Jenrick, the local government secretary, provoked laughter on the BBC over the floor-to-ceiling Union flag placed for viewers to see – triggering an angry response from some sections of the public.
Ms Nici, the Grimsby MP, went further, tweeting: “Of course if people are not proud to be British, or of our flag or Queen, they don’t have to live in the UK. Perhaps they should move to another country they prefer.”
When criticised for her comment on Twitter, Ms Nici added: “Being proud of the country we live in isn’t about nostalgia, it’s about believing in what we can achieve now and in the future.”
James Sutherland MP for Bracknell Tweeted: “Yet more smirking nonsense from the increasingly out of touch BBC. This odious behaviour needs to be cut out of our national broadcaster before it loses even more viewers…”
Naga Munchetty has apologised for liking “offensive” tweets about a Government minister’s video call backdrop featuring the Union flag.
The BBC Breakfast presenter, 46, said she had since removed the likes and that they did not represent the views of the broadcaster.
Munchetty had faced criticism from some online following an interview on Thursday in which she and her co-host Charlie Stayt drew attention to a large flag and picture of the Queen visible behind Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick.
Ending the interview, Stayt said: “I think your flag is not up to standard size, Government interview measurements.
“I think it’s just a little bit small, but that’s your department really. It’s just a thought.”
Mr Jenrick, who was speaking via video call from Westminster, did not respond.
When the camera returned to the studio, Munchetty was seen attempting to stifle her laugher.
She added: “There’s always a flag. They had the picture of the Queen though. In the Westminster office I am assuming.”
Related: PMQs – Johnson’s statuesque attitudes are the real weapons of mass destruction
