Former Conservative MP Louise Mensch has unleashed an extraordinary tirade on Twitter, instructing both David Cameron and the Queen to “fuck off”.
Mensch became enraged after the British Government declared all UK flags be flown at half mast to mourn the death of King Abdullah on Thursday.
Mensch began by criticising US President Barack Obama for paying tribute to the late royal, whom she said “whipped women for driving & is currently starving his daughters.”
Columnist Louise Mensch has criticised those who have paid tribute to the late Saudi King Abdullah
Variously describing herself as “INCANDESCENT WITH RAGE” and “galactically pissed off”, The Sun columnist delivered an ominous warning to “anybody from the Conservatives” against paying tribute to the Middle Eastern royal, otherwise she would “blast them from the highest heavens in the Sun as the biggest hypocrites ever to walk the earth.”
She was almost immediately disappointed: “Jesus Christ. Disgusted by David Cameron and Philip Hammond who have utterly failed women today. I hope every Conservative woman MP tells them so.”
[At this point Mensch accidentally tweeted her screed at an unrelated Paul Hammond, who replied: "I think you mean Philip Hammond MP. I don't think I've failed any women today..." She swiftly apologised.]
When the British embassy in Riyadh tweeted Cameron’s condolences, Mensch replied with: “FUCK YOU #FREETHE4”
Upon being informed by Paul Twinn that the half mast order was made by Buckingham Palace, hence: “So the Queen then”, Mensch retorted: “FUCK HER.”
She later tweeted: “Tbf, somebody pointed out it was the Queen on the advice of the government, so I redouble it to Cam, withdraw to HM.”
She added: “It is so unacceptable to offer deep condolences for a man who flogged women, didn’t let them drive, saw guardian laws passed & STARVES THEM.”
Saudi Arabia imposes a strict interpretation of Islamic law, forbidding women to work or travel without the authorisation of their male guardians.
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It is also the only country in the world that bans women from driving, and a woman cannot obtain an identification card without the consent of her guardian. Floggings and death sentences are also commonplace.
It is unclear at present exactly where the decision to fly the flag at half mast originated.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) told Huffington Post UK the order had come from Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace said that it had come from DCMS.
"Buckingham Palace is flying the Union Flag at half-mast in accordance with the guidance issued by DCMS," a spokesman told HuffPost.
Mensch had praise for “One UK leader, just one”, in the form of Ruth Davidson of the Scottish Conservatives, who tweeted: “Flying flags at half mast on gov buildings for the death of Saudi king is a steaming pile of nonsense. That is all.”
Mensch has form for online outbursts. In October she suggested voters would "not risk" the Labour Party should there be a "serious outbreak" of Ebola in the UK.
The gaffe came when she began tweeting that she intended to mute the word "Zionist" from her feed because it was used to attack Jews.
Zionist, in its purest sense, means anyone who believes the state of Israel has a right to exist, but has become in many circles a term meaning supporting the actions of the Israeli government.
Several Twitter users pointed out this might mean genuine Zionists, for whom Mensch has expressed support, are blocked from her timeline.
One suggested that this would mean exclusion for Theodor Herzl, the founder of the World Zionist Organisation and a key instigator of Jewish immigration to mandate Palestine. He died more than 40 years before the state of Israel was established, but is considered one of its founding fathers.