The Burmese authorities have been accused of blocking a British parliamentary fact-finding trip to the country after UK MPs were critical of their role in the Rohingya crisis.

The Commons International Development Committee had been due to hold a series of meetings with senior military and civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and also to scrutinise British aid projects in Burma.

In January the same committee produced a damning report on the treatment of the Rohingyas, highlighting evidence of sexual violence during the military crackdown on the Muslim minority, which began in late August and has caused nearly 700,000 people to flee to Bangladesh.

Committee chair and Labour MP Stephen Twigg suggested that the Burmese embassy’s failure to provide visas for the group was linked.

“We are extremely disappointed. It is hard to escape the conclusion that this is a direct consequence of our report on the Rohingya,” he said.