An SNP MP has asked the BBC to drop Tyson Fury from its Sports Personality of the Year Awards shortlist in a letter to the corporation's director general.

John Nicolson MP said that nominees for the award should be role models as well outstanding athletes in his letter to Tony Hall.

Nicolson continued: "On that basis Tyson Fury must surely have disqualified himself. He has a long history of expressing poisonous anti-gay views. He recently equated homosexuality with paedophilia.

"By nominating Mr Fury, the BBC endorses his views that he's a role model. Moreover it would subsequently, be difficult for the Corporation to defend itself against the accusation that it is half hearted in its opposition to homophobia."

New World Heavyweight boxing champion Fury causes outrage after he compared homosexuality to paedophilia in an interview in the Mail on Sunday.

A video of Fury saying Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill "slaps up good" also appeared online last week.

A petition calling for Fury to be removed from the Sports Personality of the Year award shortlist was set up on change.org by user Scott Cuthbertson from Edinburgh last week. It has now received over 96,000 signatures.

I like how @MrJohnNicolson refers to Tyson Fury as "Mr Fury" in this letter to Tony Hall. pic.twitter.com/OyuHET6GtP — Jamie Ross (@JamieRoss7) December 8, 2015

In full: John Nicolson MP's letter to BBC Director General Tyson Fury

Dear Tony,

The Sports Personality of the Year Award is a much anticipated event on every sports lover's calendar. You will be aware of the anger and distress which have been caused by the late nomination of boxer Tyson Fury.

I am writing to ask that the BBC drops Mr Fury from this year's shortlist. Nominees for the award, the BBC makes clear, should not just be outstanding athletes. They have to be role models as well. On that basis Tyson Fury must surely have disqualified himself. He has a long history of expressing poisonous, anti-gay views. He recently equated homosexuality with paedophilia. He has previously tweeted the following;

"don't like gays should all b shot dead."

And clearing up any suggestion that he regrets his previous positions, Mr Fury tweeted last night;

"I stand by anything I've said in the past 10000%... I'm a roll (sic) model."

By nominating Mr Fury, the BBC endorses his view that he's a role model. Moreover it would, subsequently, be difficult for the Corporation to defend itself against the accusation that it is half hearted in its opposition to homophobia. I find it inconceivable that the BBC would allow his candidacy to proceed had he expressed racist, Islamophobic, or anti-Semitic views in such terms.

All across the country young people - both gay and straight - will watch the awards, Mr Fury's name going forward will send out the clearest of signals - namely that extreme biogotry is not a disqualification for one of our country's highest sporting honours. That cannot be right.

I intend to make this letter available for publication.

Yours sincerely,

John Nicolson MP