A Conservative MP has denied sending a controversial tweet about the European Union – despite it appearing on a screen behind him on live television.
Dr Liam Fox was quizzed about the message by Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge on Sunday.
It read: “The United Kingdom is one of the few countries in the European Union that does not need to bury its 20th century history”
The presenter read the tweet – posted from Dr Fox’s account – to the MP who flatly denied ever sending it.
He claimed the tweet had been sent by the Guardian newspaper and had taken his words out of context.
Seemingly unaware the message had appeared behind him, he said: “As a point of clarification, I didn’t send that tweet.
“It was taken from a speech I did about a year-and-a-half ago and it was tweeted, I think, by the Guardian.”
He then added that the quote was “incomplete” and originally noted that “the UK didn’t need to bury its 20th century history in a pan-European project”.
Sky News confirmed the screen was able to be seen by viewers.
A spokesman for Dr Fox told the Standard: "The tweet from March 2016 is an incomplete quote from over a year ago.”
