A WAR of words has been taking place on social media following comments made by MP David Davies on a proposal made by Metropolitan Police chief Craig Mackey.

In an article in the Daily Mail, Mackey suggested that officers would prioritise non-English speakers and the elderly and vulnerable in the community to cope with cuts to its budget.

Commenting on Twitter, the MP for Monmouth said it was an appalling and discriminatory suggestion and that police could save fortune by cutting access to interpreters for non-English speakers.

Matt Lucas, star of Little Britain, was one of those who responded on to the MP’s tweet, saying: “Fortunately we don’t need a translator to tell us how fascistic this sounds” and called Mr Davies a “racist MP”.

The two then started trading e-blows and after Mr Lucas allegedly swore at the MP, and Mr Davies branded Mr Lucas a “moron” and a “lefty luvvie comedian without a clue about the real world”.

Mr Davies has argued that he had written a report for Council of Europe on the topic of racism while serving with as a special constable with the police, at the same time Lucas had “blacked up” for a sketch on TV and accused the comedian of hypocrisy.

It is thought the MP was referring to Mr Lucas’ sketch show Come Fly With Me, in which he and David Walliams play characters of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Speaking to the Beacon, Mr Davies said that if an MP had “blacked up”, it would have been “career-ending” and accused Mr Lucas of using deeply offensive and appalling language.

Mr Davies added that this type of exchange “shuts down any kind of debate over multiculturalism”.