By, Jennifer Lipman
1 min read
ByJennifer Lipman, Jennifer Lipman
A Conservative MP who attacked the Olympic Opening Ceremony as “leftie multi-cultural crap” has said that his comments were misunderstood.
Aidan Burley, who was part of a stag party where guests donned Nazi uniform, toasted the Third Reich and chanted the names of senior Nazis, criticised Danny Boyle’s spectacular on Twitter.
Mr Burley, MP for Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, was widely criticised on Friday night for attacking the extravaganza, which featured a celebration of the NHS as well as a look at pivotal moments in British history.
He wrote on the site: “The most leftie opening ceremony I have ever seen - more than Beijing, the capital of a communist state!"
He deleted his comments then added: “Seems my tweet has been misunderstood. I was talking about the way it was handled in the show, not multiculturalism itself.”
He later explained his comments were provoked by the inclusion of the CND symbol and Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty at the event.
He told ITV: "It seemed like there were some trite attempts to focus on some modern parts of our multiculturalism."
Senior figures in the Conservative Party including Boris Johnson and a Downing Street official distanced themselves from his comments. In the wake of the scandal over his attendance at the stag party last year, the first-term MP lost his role as parliamentary private secretary to Transport Secretary Justine Greening.
The Conservative Party promised to investigate and report on Mr Burley’s conduct following the revelations about the stag party. But at the end of February, the deadline for when the report had been promised, a spokesman said it was being postponed because of the ongoing investigation by the French police.
Mr Cameron is now facing calls to take action over Mr Burley’s behaviour from a number of MPs and public figures.
