Wythenshawe, Manchester – Shadow Minister for employment Mike Amesbury has apologised “unreservedly” for sharing an antisemitic caricature from a conspiracy website.

The MP shared a cartoon on Facebook in 2013 of a bearded, jeering hook-nosed Father Christmas from a website called IlluminatiAgenda.com.

The post, which was reported by blogger and Israel activist David Collier, also contained the words: “Remember to support the banks and corporations this Christmas in their continued efforts to enslave mankind, by spending money you haven’t got on things you don’t need.”

Initially, Amesbury denied sharing the post, writing in a since-deleted post on Tuesday evening: “I did not send this vile nonsense and never would.

“The profile picture is of me and my son when we as a family went to Barcelona in 2015, curious that this claims to be from 2013”.

But this morning, Amesbury issued an apology, writing: “I apologise unreservedly for this terrible error. I genuinely don’t recall sharing this image and I’m mortified that I did so.