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3 Feb, 2019 18:03

No Marshall Plan for UK? Twitter descends on Tory MP for WWII fund gaffe

No Marshall Plan for UK? Twitter descends on Tory MP for WWII fund gaffe

British Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski is drowning in ridicule after he claimed the UK liberated half of Europe in WWII and received no Marshall Aid for their troubles.

The Shrewsbury pro-Brexit MP made the wildly inaccurate claim in a tweet about the “ungrateful EU.” He complained that Britain “mortgaged herself up to eyeballs” to liberate Europe, but got “no Marshall Plan” compensation payments.

READ MORE: God save the Queen... from Brexit? Cold War plan revived to rescue royals from riots – media

People were quick to point out Kawczynski’s glaring error, explaining that not only did the UK receive Marshall aid ($2.7 billion of it), but actually received the biggest slice of the pie.

The Marshall Plan, or European Recovery Program, was a 1948 US aid initiative to rebuild Europe after the war, and extend US influence to counter the spread of communism. Britain received 26 percent of the funds, while West Germany only got 11 percent.

Labour MP David Lammy wondered whether Kawcyznski’s account was a parody one and slammed the “jingoistic nationalism” of the remarks, urging his fellow MP to “pick up a history book.”

Others expressed horror that such inaccuracies could be spouted by an elected official.

Kawczynski meanwhile appears unruffled by the deluge of fact-checking taking place in his Twitter mentions.

“There are many people in this country who want to whitewash the sacrifice that Britain has made over generations for Europe,” he told the Shropshire Star. “They say it is not appropriate to look at a country's history to understand her credentials. Those affiliated to Europe in this country hate any challenge to their point of view.”

Also on rt.com EU irks London by branding Gibraltar ‘Colony of British crown’

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