The Labour MP sacked by Ed Miliband for sneering at a family home draped with England flags today escaped a showdown meeting with the owner who attacked her as a 'snob'.

Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry sparked a storm when she told MailOnline she had 'never seen anything like it' after tweeting a picture of the terrace home in Rochester with three England flags and a white van parked in the drive.

Cage-fighting car dealer Dan Ware, who owns the home photographed by Ms Thornberry, turned up at the MP's home in north London today to demand an apology but she had already left for work in Parliament.

Asked this afternoon whether she had bumped into Mr Ware - who was photographed returning to his home in Rochester - the Labour MP responded to MailOnline: 'Nope.'

Mr Miliband tonight insisted the Labour MP had to go because she had shown disrespect. Asked what he thought when he saw white vans, the Labour leader responded: 'Respect.'

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White van man Dan Ware arrived home at his house in Rochester this evening after travelling to London to confront Labour MP Emily Thornberry

Mr Ware, 37, turned up at Ms Thornbury's £3million home in Islington this morning and accused her of being a 'snob'

On your bike: The Labour MP cycling away from her home this morning, after being ordered by Ed Miliband to resign from the shadow cabinet

Speaking earlier Ms Thornberry insisted she had no problem meeting the home owner she had offended. She said: ‘I’m more than happy to meet him – I don’t have any problem with that.

‘I resigned, I’m a big girl. I can make up my own mind. The last thing I wanted is to get in the way of Ed Miliband becoming the next Prime Minister. If it makes it easier for Ed to become Prime Minister by me resigning then I will do it gladly.’

She said the only flag she has attached to her house is the Arsenal flag. Ms Thornberry added: ‘They attached the flag of St George to my fence. I hope they leave it there.’

Leaving her house today this morning, Ms Thornberry told waiting reporters: 'I got it wrong. I made a mistake. I've resigned. And if I have upset anyone or insulted anybody, I apologise.'

But earlier the Labour MP appeared to criticise the furore over her tweet this morning - ‘favouriting’ a series of tweets attacking her sacking. One read: ‘In my opinion I think you did nothing wrong I think it's all been taken out of context.

Another said: ‘I don't know why you've quit. I'd also like to know what a West Ham fan is doing in Rochester.’

Mr Miliband today said he was ‘angry’ with Ms Thornberry because it gave the ‘that somehow Labour had the wrong view of that family’.

Ed Miliband's Labour party sneers at people who work hard, who are patriotic and who love their country David Cameron

He said: ‘It's not the view we have of that family. Labour's never had that view of disrespect and I'm afraid her tweet conveyed a sense of disrespect - that's not my view, that's not Labour's view, it's wrong, it never will be our view and that's why I think it was right she resigned.’

Asked what went through his mind when he saw a white van outside a house with England flags, Mr Miliband replied: ‘What goes through my mind is respect - respect is a basic rule of politics and I'm afraid her tweet conveyed a sense of disrespect.’

David Cameron joined the chorus of criticism today. Asked if he would have sacked her if she had been on of his minsters, the Prime Minister said: 'Absolutely, and let's be clear Emily Thornberry is one of Ed Miliband's closest allies and aides.

'Effectively what this means is Ed Miliband's Labour party sneers at people who work hard, who are patriotic and who love their country and I think that's completely appalling.

The Islington South MP faced a barrage of criticism including from outraged Labour colleagues who accused her of being 'derogatory'.

One senior Labour insider said it was 'worse than the Gillian Duffy moment' when Gordon Brown was recorded calling a voter a 'bigoted woman'.

Labour MPs and senior frontbenchers began privately calling for Ms Thornberry to be ousted from the shadow Cabinet last night before Mr Miliband decided she had to go.

Tory think tank chief David Skelton said it was an example of the 'outrageous snobbery of modern Labour. Sneering at working people.'

The Labour frontbencher defended posting the image, claiming she had never seen anything like it

Ms Thornberry sent a similar message two years ago about a house in Bristol covered in England flags

Ed Miliband, pictured today, ordered Ms Thornberry to resign as shadow Attorney General. She lives in a house worth an estimated £3million in Islington, north London (right), where someone tied a flag today

Last night Mr Ware, 36, said Ms Thornberry 'should have asked me first' before taking the picture of his three-bedroom home, which he bought with wife Maria for £119,000 in 2002.

The father of four said he had simply put up the three St George flags to celebrate the World Cup, and that it was 'not political'.

Referring to Miss Thornberry, he said: 'She's a snob. What's she got, a three-storey townhouse in Islington? These flags can be found anywhere you look.'

He works in the motor trade and does property maintenance, was at work when the MP came round.

It was a house covered in British flags. I've never seen anything like it before Labour MP Emily Thornberry

He was not aware there was a byelection, but voted Conservative at the last general election and has never voted Labour.

After visiting Mr Thornberry's house, he drove the two miles to Mr Miliband's house.

The Labour leader's aides had claimed that there would be a meeting organised between the two men, according to The Sun.

It is understood he arrived as an online delivery from Ocado was being dropped off at the address.

His neighbours described him as a 'gentle giant' today.

Sharon Taft, 54, said: 'Dan is a gentleman, he is a gentle giant. Everyone thinks it's ridiculous what has happened, he put them (flags) up for the World Cup and just kept them there.

'He has gone to Islington today to see that MP, she's going to apologise'.

His next door neighbour, who did not want to be named said: 'We all saw him this morning and asked for his autograph.

'He was a bit red-faced but took it in good spirits. He's just a normal bloke, there was no reason for her to say what she did and post the picture.

'He is a cage fighter so I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him, but out of the cage, he isn't like that at all, he's so nice.

'I know a few people have said he's a gentle giant and that's the perfect way to describe him.'

Still flying: Mr Ware was still flying the flags in Kent this morning but was not at home

Julie Mitchell, 28, a stay-at-home mother said: 'He's a really nice man, I see him when I come and visit my friend here.

'He's a big man, I don't think she would have done what she did if he was standing outside the house.

'It will be funny to find out what happens when the MP has to apologise. It is a shame she did what she did because she's lost her job, but I guess she should have had more sense.'

Ms Thorberry tweeted the offending photograph as voters in Rochester went to the polls in the by-election triggered by Tory MP Mark Reckless' defection to the Tories.

Labour represented the area until 2010, but came a distant third when the result was announced overnight.

It was horrendous. It insults people like me, it insults the people I know - my friends and family - Labour voters across the country Labour MP John Mann

Ms Thornberry is a close ally of Mr Miliband, and was the first to nominate him for the Labour leadership in 2010.

Mr Miliband called her at around 6pm last night to voice is disapproval. 'He made his anger very clear,' a Labour source said. Mr Miliband said he had 'never been so angry'.

'It is fair to say he made his view very clear that people should fly the England flag with pride,' a source added.

Shortly afterwards there was another call, in which Mr Miliband made clear she would have to leave the shadow cabinet.

Ms Thornberry initially tried to defend her tweet. Speaking to MailOnline, she denied snobbery but said she was astonished to see people hanging so many flags outside their house.

She said: 'It was a house covered in British flags. I've never seen anything like it before.

'It had three huge flags covering the whole house. I thought it was remarkable. I've never seen a house completely covered in flags.'

When pressed that flying flags was common, she said: 'I was brought up in a council house and I've never seen anything like it.'

'I thought it was absolutely amazing,' she added.

Announcing her resignation last night, Miss Thornberry accepted her tweet has 'caused offence to some people'. She added: 'That was never my intention and I have apologised.

'However I will not let anything distract from Labour's chance to win the coming general election. I have therefore tonight told Ed Miliband I will resign from the shadow cabinet.'

Tory Communities Secretary Eric Pickles told Mrs Thornberry she should be proud to see the St George's flag flying

Mrs Thornberry was bombarded with criticism on Twitter within minutes of posting the picture

Ukip leader Nigel Farage reacted immediately to the photo, saying it had let 'Miliband's mask slip'

Three hours after posting the photo Ms Thornberry apologised. She wrote: 'I apologise for any offence caused by the 3 flag picture. People should fly the England flag with pride!'

It came after she was slammed by fellow Labour MPs.

Simon Danczuk said: 'Everyone will know exactly what she meant by that comment.

'I think she was being derogatory and dismissive of the people. We all know what she was trying to imply.

'I've talked about this previously. It's like the Labour party has been hijacked by the north London liberal elite and it's comments like that which reinforce that view.' He added: 'I want to see more people flying the British flag.'

Labour backbencher John Mann said the tweet was 'embarrassing' for Mr Miliband and the party, but he insisted the leader's swift action was a 'big moment'.

If somebody came into my constituency and did that, I would be furious Labour MP Chris Bryant

On Ms Thornberry's tweet, Mr Mann told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:

'It was horrendous. It insults people like me, it insults the people I know - my friends and family - Labour voters across the country because white vans, England flags, they're Labour values and actually pretty routine Labour values for most of us.'

He went on: 'I do think it's quite a big moment not because of what she's done, which would have disappeared fairly quickly, but the fact Ed Miliband has responded so quickly.

'I think this is a different approach from the Labour leader and his message came out very, very clearly last night and she's had to go, she's been forced out.

'I think he's applying what I hoped he would apply all the way through which is what I call the Doncaster North test, which is one of the tests he needs to apply and that is "if we've got a policy, if we're saying something, how will it fit with the voters in my own constituency in Doncaster", and they would not have been happy with what Emily Thornberry did.'

Shadow welfare minister Chris Bryant told the BBC: 'The first rule of politics is surely that you respect the voters.

'She was absolutely wrong to tweet what she did, and absolutely right to have resigned.'

He added: 'All I can say is, if somebody came into my constituency and did that, I would be furious.'

Ms Thornberry, a millionaire former barrister, was accused of looking down on Labour's traditional voters.

Initially, the multi-millionaire MP refused to apologise. She even told reporters she felt she was a victim of 'a somewhat prejudiced attitude towards Islington' among her critics

Labour leader Ed Miliband was pictured during a visit to Tetronics International in Swindon, more than 100 miles from the constituency in Rochester

One outraged voter reacted to her tweet, asking: 'How out of touch are you? And you wonder why no one wants to vote for you and your vacuum packed lefty snobs.'

Another responded to her: 'Thanks for the reminder of why no working man should ever vote Labour.'

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: 'Whatever one's class, colour or creed, the St George's flag is a unifying symbol for our nation. Don't knock it - let's fly the English flag with pride.'

She's not a stranger to council housing – it's where she comes from. I don't know, it doesn't sound to me like a resignation scandal Labour MP Alan Johnson

Henry Smith MP added: 'This snobbery is the mark of a true champagne socialist and shows what 'One Nation' Labour really looks like.'

Ukip leader Nigel Farage tweeted: 'What is Labour's Emily Thornberry trying to imply about Rochester and Strood? I suspect she's let Miliband's mask slip.'

However, some colleagues came to her defence. Alan Johnson, the former home secretary, said he did not think it was a 'resignation scandal'.

He told BBC One's This Week: 'All I know is that Emily Thornberry came from a very poor background. She was council house-raised and in many ways epitomises social mobility, rose up to being a barrister... She's not a stranger to council housing – it's where she comes from. I don't know, it doesn't sound to me like a resignation scandal.'

But he conceded there is a problem with the perception that Labour is no longer in touch with working-class patriotism.

'Maybe that's why he's furious, because it looks as though it's patronising to working-class people. But I wouldn't think Emily Thornberry is a good example of someone who would do that, given her background.'

Ms Thornberry lives in Islington with her husband and three children. She has previously sparked controversy after choosing to educate her children privately.

She was raised by her mother, a former Labour Councillor and Mayor, on a council estate outside Guildford.

Before entering Parliament, she practised as a human rights barrister.