THE Scottish Tories have issued a response after one of their MSPs caused a backlash on social media with a tweet about the current weather in Europe.
We previously told how Murdo Fraser was called out after deleting an ill-informed tweet which read: “Can we have some of that Mediterranean heatwave here please? It’s horribly chilly for July, have just had to put a winter jumper on.”
The heatwave has sparked crises across Europe, with Italy seeing both fires and flooding in different parts of the country, and Greek authorities fighting "more than 50 [blazes] a day".
The MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife was unable to delete his Twitter post before many had screenshotted it.
The National approached the Scottish Conservatives to ask if they had any response.
The party claimed that Fraser's tweet was deleeted because it was being “misrepresented” by his opponents.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Tories said: “This was intended as a light-hearted reference to the chilly weather we are currently experiencing, which was deleted as soon as it became apparent that it was being misrepresented by political opponents.”
Wildfires are continuing to rage across Europe with many holidaymakers forced to return from Rhodes in Greece.
Thousands have been rescued from fire-hit parts of the popular holiday island while others are having to cancel planned trips.
As many as 10,000 people form the UK are estimated to be in Rhodes, the Foreign Office has said, with 30,000 due to head there in the next few weeks, according to The Times.
Sarah George, 39 and from Edinburgh, told of her concern after opening a bar on the island a few weeks before the wildfires hit.
She told the PA News agency: “Things were going beautifully and now this has all happened.
“Obviously this is less than ideal, it’s a worry about what’s going to happen in the years to come.”
It is estimated that more than 40 people have died in wildfires across Algeria, Italy and Greece.
