Winston Churchill's grandson has told parliament he receives "vile" abuse accusing him of betraying the wartime prime minister's memory.
Sir Nicholas Soames is one of the most pro-EU Conservative MPs in the Commons. Speaking in a parliamentary debate on David Cameron's in/out referendum on Thursday he said: "I am daily on the receiving end of some vile emails and whatnot from people telling me that I am a traitor to my grandfather’s memory."
Recalling the "tragedy" of the Second World War, Sir Nicholas warned it was only "in the winking of an eye" in historical terms that Europe had been at peace.
Tory MP Steve Baker, one of the leading anti-EU Conservatives, told Sir Nicholas said he had the "utmost respect" for and that those who accused him of being a traitor "disgrace themselves with their insults".
In recent weeks Sir Nicholas has gathered something of a cult following on Twitter, for his brutal put-downs of eurosceptic critics.