Grant Shapps, the Conservative party chairman was accused of patronising voters last night as he attempted to use Twitter to promote the government’s budget.

Shapps tweeted a picture that said: “Bingo. Cutting the Bingo tax and beer duty: To help hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy.”

He asked his followers to re-tweet, “to spread the word”.

#budget2014 cuts bingo & beer tax helping hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy. RT to spread the word pic.twitter.com/5vbL7RDAg5 — Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) March 19, 2014

Danny Alexander, Shapp’s coalition ally and chief secretary of the treasury said the tweet and the ad were patronising.

“I thought it was a spoof at first, it’s just pretty extraordinary. It may be our Budget but it’s their words, I think it’s rather patronising.

“Also I think it actually demeans some quite sensible things. There are good reasons to be supporting bingo, there are good reasons to be encouraging our pub sector to be stronger - that’s the analysis behind those measures.”

Stephen Pollard, a conservative columnist for the Daily Express and Daily Telegraph and editor of the Jewish Chronicle said Shapp’s use of the word “they” to distinguish himself and the Conservative Party from working people was particularly damaging.

Do the Tories have anyone capable of thought? This poster makes satire unnecessary. It's the 'they': pic.twitter.com/fU1PEubQkN — Stephen Pollard (@stephenpollard) March 19, 2014

Other tweeters accused Shapps of being patronising to working people by reducing their hobbies to bingo and beer.

Bingo and beer - you lot genuinely believe that's all the working class want don't you @grantshapps? #Partyoftherich #Budget2014 — Susan (@marthasydenham) March 19, 2014

Politicians also got involved. Andy Burnham, Labour MP for Leigh and shadow health secretary, said Shapps’s tweet reminded him of a Harry Enfield sketch depicting a 1930’s television presenter.

.@grantshapps reminds me of Mr Cholmondley-Warner when he asked Grayson to investigate the "working class" > pic.twitter.com/BRKKQpi9kk — Andy Burnham (@andyburnhammp) March 19, 2014

Tim Burgess, the lead singer of the Charlatans, said it reminded him of a modern version of Marie Antoinette’s supposed comment to the poor of Paris.

Let them eat cake. 2014 style pic.twitter.com/OTOCuguVey — Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) March 19, 2014

The Observer’s political editor, Toby Helm, warned that the ad could prove dangerous for Conservatives’ reputation if it continues to circulate.

They will have pulled this ad by the morning if they have any sense. pic.twitter.com/VqRDJOuf6C — Toby Helm (@tobyhelm) March 19, 2014

One of the script writers of the The Thick of It, Simon Blackwell, said that if someone had suggested a Conservative ad like this as satire, he would have rejected as too unrealistic.

Genuinely, if that Conservative beer & bingo ad had come up at a Thick Of It script meeting we’d have rejected it as being too far-fetched. — Simon Blackwell (@simonblackwell) March 19, 2014

The Guardian’s Helen Pidd had just returned from a bingo hall to give her verdict on Shapps’s outreach efforts.

I've just been to Mecca bingo on Hyde Road in Manchester and I can exclusively reveal what hardworking people do not enjoy: being patronised — Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) March 19, 2014

The Shapp’s ad was probably very easy to design at home but it was also very easy to spoof.