Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski was skewered on live TV over his false claim that there was "no Marshall Plan" for Britain.

The Brexiteer tweeted last week: "Britain helped to liberate half of Europe. She mortgaged herself up to eye balls in process.

"No Marshall Plan for us only for Germany. We gave up war reparations in 1990.

"We put £370 billion into EU since we joined. Watch the way ungrateful EU treats us now. We will remember."

In reality the 1948 Marshall Plan saw the US give more than $12 billion to Western Europe to help them rebuild after World War II – which would be worth around $100 billion in today’s money.

Britain received about a quarter of the fund and finished repaying it in 2006.

Asked about the falsehood on Sky News, Mr Kawczynski said: "I was promised you wouldn’t raise that" – before admitting he "got into a lot of trouble over that".

He said: "What I would say is – and I think that people have said – really, it’s very difficult for MPs to get everything across in the limited number of characters.

"What I was trying to say is I believe the United Kingdom did not benefit as much as other countries because of the huge loans we had to take out during the Second World War, which we only finished paying off in 2007.

"If I have caused any offence with that tweet I apologise."

Pressed on whether the tweet was factually wrong, he admitted: "Britain did receive money under the Marshall Plan.

"But the huge loans that she took and the massive task that she took on by herself to liberate half of Europe cost her dearly and she’s been paying those loans right up until 10 years ago."

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