Ian Paisley sorry for retweeting Katie Hopkins comment

Image source, Pacemaker

Image caption, Ian Paisley said he had only glanced at the Katie Hopkins tweet before retweeting it

The DUP's North Antrim MP Ian Paisley has apologised for retweeting a tweet by right-wing commentator Katie Hopkins.

Ms Hopkins' tweet read: "March 2018. London has a higher murder rate than New York... and Ramadan's not yet begun."

Mr Paisley has since deleted the comment from his Twitter account.

A DUP spokesperson said it deplored the sentiments behind Ms Hopkins' tweet and described it as inappropriate.

They said the matter will be considered by the party officers at their next meeting.

Mr Paisley tweeted an apology on Monday night.

Image source, Twitter

In their statement, the DUP spokesperson said: "Ian Paisley retweeted a comment originally posted on twitter by Katie Hopkins from his personal twitter account.

"He has subsequently removed it. The original tweet was totally inappropriate and the DUP deplores its sentiments."