Ukip's deputy leader Paul Nuttall has been branded "misogynistic" after claiming SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon should be thrown in front of a horse.
In a blog for The Huffington Post UK, the MEP hit out at SNP plans to vote on changes to the foxhunting ban which only affect England and Wales.
Mr Nuttall wrote: "Tuesday is Emmeline Pankhurst Day, and whilst I am not going to throw myself in front of a horse to make my point about British democracy on this occasion, this is a vitally important constitutional matter and perhaps we should throw Sturgeon in front of a hunt horse as part of the commemorations."
His blog provoked astonishment on social media, both with regards to its sentiment and historical inaccuracy.
The suffragette who threw herself in front of the King's horse in 1913 was Emily Davison.
An SNP spokesman said: “Even by Ukip’s standards this is a deeply crass comment. Political debate should be conducted in a respectful manner – Ukip show time and again that they are a party of intolerance and negativity.
“On Emmeline Pankhurst Day Scotland’s first female First Minister will be in London make a strong, positive argument for a fairer economy.”
Mr Nuttall's comments came in a wider discussion of the implication of SNP MPs voting on a matter which has no affect north of the border.
He said: "If we allow this to go unchecked, if we allow the Scottish MPs to be the decision makers on this issue, what happens when they take a stance you disagree with? What happens if they disagree with you on Trident, on immigration, on our membership of the EU?"
This morning, Ms Sturgeon admitted the SNP would vote against the watering down of the ban - which would most likely lead to its defeat - to "remind" David Cameron he has a slim majority.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, she said: "Since the election, David Cameron’s government has shown very little respect to the mandate that Scottish MPs have. On the Scotland Bill, reasonable amendments backed by the overwhelming majority of Scottish MPs have been voted down," she told the Today programme.
"So, I think if there’s an opportunity – as there appears to be here – and on an issue where David Cameron appears to be out of touch with majority English opinion as well, to actually remind the government how slender their majority is.
Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox reacted angrily to the SNP's plan, accusing the nationalist of "sticking two fingers up" at the Government.
“People in England are perfectly capable of electing MPs to look after their interests. So we’ll invite Nicola Sturgeon to keep her nose out of that one... What we’ve seen, really, is a pretty toxic mixture of opportunism and hypocrisy coming from the SNP," he told Today.
"And it’s particularly galling because the Government has been very careful and Parliament has been very careful to try and protect the Union by moving slowly and thoughtfully and constructively in terms of English votes on English laws and more time has been given to the debate. And it seems that, while we’re trying to be reasonable to the SNP, they’re sticking two fingers up at us.”