Wilshire apologises for Holocaust gaffe

The Spelthorne MP had written in an email to a constituent: "The witch-hunt against MPs in general will undermine democracy. It will weaken Parliament - handing yet more power to governments. Branding a whole group of people as undesirables led to Hitler's gas chambers."

But he later apologised saying: "In a reply to very unpleasant e-mails from about half a dozen people... I did refer to the Holocaust. I was not seeking to equate what is happening to MPs with the Holocaust.

"I was simply warning that history teaches that the sentiments expressed in such e-mails can lead to horrendous consequences.

"So, if anyone finds my response to these emails inappropriate I apologise unreservedly. The last thing I want to do is upset anyone.

"However, all these e-mails assumed a newspaper's untested allegations were proof of guilt.

"Among the unpleasant things said were that I should immediately be taken out and strung up from a lamp post, that the sender was coming to shoot me and that most MPs were corrupt and ought to be disposed of."