A SCOTTISH Tory MP has been accused of “shocking misjudgment” after meeting representatives from a far-right Spanish political party in London.
Ross Thomson was pictured alongside Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, vice-secretary of international relations for Vox, at Portcullis House in Westminster.
Vox has attracted criticism for its anti-immigration and anti-feminist politics, with some commentators drawing comparisons between the party and the ideology of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.
Its candidates for the upcoming Spanish elections on April 28 include two retired generals who signed a petition defending General Franco, and briefly included Fernando Paz, an author who has been accused of making homophobic comments and questioning aspects of the holocaust. The party has been endorsed by Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s former strategist.
READ MORE: Tory MP Ross Thomson facing second inquiry
Last year, it became the first far-right group to make a breakthrough in Spain since General Franco's dictatorship ended in 1975.
Weeks later, it agreed to back a new, right-wing coalition in the Andalucían regional government after dropping demands to expel 52,000 “illegal immigrants”.
An SNP spokeswoman said: “This is a shocking misjudgment, with Ross Thomson heaping yet more embarrassment on Ruth Davidson and Jackson Carlaw.
"The Scottish Tory leadership must immediately distance themselves from this extreme, populist party.
"This meeting is symptomatic of a much wider problem in politics – the normalisation of the policies and language of the far-right. It can’t continue.
"All governments and political parties must do everything they can to oppose intolerance, xenophobia and racism.”
It is understood Vox were on a fact-finding trip to the UK and held a series of meetings in Westminster, including one with Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris.
The meetings were brokered by Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, and Mr Thomson was invited along by Tory MP Andrew Lewer.
READ MORE: Aberdeen MP Ross Thomson is no stranger to controversy
Mr Espinosa, a prominent figure in Vox, has previously raised the possibility of banning far-left and pro-Catalan independence parties.
An article in the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia said he was in the UK to present his party’s policies before the snap election, to prevent them being “distorted” by the media.
It said Vox had contact with Mr Heaton-Harris, Mr Lewer and Mr Thomson.
A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: “The delegation from Vox met people across Westminster – including a government minister from the Department for Exiting the European Union.
“Ross was invited along to a meeting by an MP colleague. None of these meetings constitute an endorsement of any views Vox may hold.”
Mr Thomson was accused of drunkenly groping men in a Westminster bar earlier this year. He strongly denies the claims.
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