Stepfather of boy in hospital demands apology from David Davis' former chief of staff over 'pathetic cretin' tweet

Former MP later deleted tweet and said insult was aimed at boy's stepfather

Stewart Jackson previously called one of his former constituents a 'thick chav' (Twitter)

The stepfather of a boy in hospital has demanded an apology from David Davis’s former chief of staff after he appeared to call the child a “pathetic cretin”.

Stewart Jackson, a former Conservative MP, was responding to a tweet by Anthony Hobley who had posted a picture of his ill stepson draped in an EU flag.

MPs have also demanded the former Brexit secretary’s aide make a “grovelling apology”.

Mr Jackson's post was in response Mr Hobley saying his stepson had been “gutted” to miss Saturday’s March for the Future, organised jointly by the People’s Vote campaign and The Independent, which saw 700,000 take to the streets of London to demand a fresh referendum on Brexit.

Mr Hobley tweeted: “My stepson had an operation yesterday at Great Ormond Street. He’s incredibly brave but gutted he can’t be at the People’s Vote march today with his brothers and sisters. You can see he’ll be there in spirit and his brothers are saluting him with a dab.”

The post was accompanied by a photo of the child in a hospital bed, covered with an EU flag. Another image showed two other children “dabbing” while wearing “Bollocks to Brexit” hats and standing behind the same flag.

“What a pathetic cretin," responded Mr Jackson.

After an angry backlash, the former MP deleted the tweet and said the jibe had been aimed at the boy’s stepfather.

Mr Hobley called on him "to apologise, not for me, but for both my family and the tone of political debate in this country".

"Comments like these from senior people in political life set the tone of political debate in our country and I believe harm politics in our country," he added.

"Whatever our views on Brexit we need to talk about the problems of Brexit and the case for a People's Vote by debating the facts and issues, not with schoolyard abuse."

Labour MP Wes Streeting said Mr Jackson should issue a "grovelling apology".

He added: "Whatever your views on what's gone wrong with Brexit, attacking the family of a child recovering from an operation in hospital is a new low.

"There is a vicious tone to much of our political debate today and that has been often been driven by Brexit supporters like Stewart Jackson.

"But this latest episode goes far beyond the usual rough and tumble of politics. Stewart Jackson should apologise to this boy and his parents."

Former Conservative MP Stewart Jackson has become the Brexit Secretary’s top adviser (PA)

Mr Jackson, who was appointed to work for Mr Davis after losing his seat in 2017, has refused to apologise.

He wrote on Twitter: “What sort of individual invades their sick child’s privacy at a sensitive time to make a political point about the so called People’s Vote? Really. Awful.”

It is not the first time that Mr Jackson, who was MP for Peterborough between 2005 and 2017, has insulted a member of the public. Days after losing his seat last year, he called one of his former constituents a “thick chav” on Facebook.