Jimmy Savile

THE DUP has remained silent following criticism of Ian Paisley for sharing a Twitter post that likened EU Remain supporters to paedophile Jimmy Savile.

Mr Paisley deactivated his Twitter account amid an online backlash after he retweeted a post by a Brexit-supporting profile called Stop the EU.

Sharing the tweet which read, "Ouija Board confirms Savile would have voted Remain," the DUP North Antrim MP tweeted: "Explains BBC coverage."

The tweet last week caused uproar among other Twitter users, with some calling for Mr Paisley's resignation.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long described it as "truly shocking" and disrespectful both to abuse victims and those who voted Remain in the EU referendum.

Read More:

SDLP South Belfast MLA Claire Hanna said Mr Paisley "makes Donald Trump look classy and his being in a position of power is very disturbing".

It is understood Mr Paisley's account, which has more than 17,000 followers, was deactivated by himself rather than due to a complaint to social media giant Twitter.

A Twitter spokeswoman said: "We don't comment on individual accounts for personal and security reasons."

The DUP was asked again yesterday for a response to the row, including whether the party considered it acceptable to liken Remain voters to Jimmy Savile.

However, the DUP last night did not respond to requests for a comment.

The controversy comes after Mr Paisley in July received an unprecedented 30-day suspension from the House of Commons after failing to declare two luxury family holidays to Sri Lanka paid for by its government.

It prompted the first recall petition in UK parliamentary history, but the petition fell short of the 10 per cent of registered voters required to trigger a by-election.