Senior Tories have demanded that the party takes down an attack advert on social media that shows a BBC presenter raising her middle finger.
The ad, posted to the official Conservative Party account on X, formerly Twitter, read: “Labour when you ask for their plans to tackle illegal immigration”.
It was accompanied by a picture of Maryam Moshiri, a BBC news anchor, giving the middle finger at the start of a programme.
Earlier on Thursday, Ms Moshiri apologised after the gesture was accidentally captured, saying it was a “silly joke” meant for friends but not for a live broadcast.
Tobias Elwood, a former defence minister, expressed his dissatisfaction with the Conservatives’ attack ad, writing:
Alicia Kearns, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs select committee, said: “Amazed this has not – despite requests – been taken down. This is beneath us.”
Gavin Barwell, the Number 10 chief of staff under Theresa May, said: “This is the exact opposite of what politics should be.”
However, the message remained on X. A Conservative Party source said it was a “humorous and topical encapsulation of the Labour Party’s position”.
