Bradford MP George Galloway was last night widely condemned for posting Twitter comments about Baroness Thatcher’s death yesterday at 87.

The Respect MP for Bradford West first posted “Tramp the dirt down” – the name of an Elvis Costello song attacking Margaret Thatcher.

Then in a second post Mr Galloway wrote: “Thatcher described Nelson Mandela as a ‘terrorist’. I was there. I saw her lips move. May she burn in the hellfires.”

His remarks provoked criticism both from other Bradford and politicians and on the social networking site.

MP Philip Davies (Con, Shipley) said: “Unlike some of the Totalitarian regimes that George Galloway supports we believe in free speech in this country so I will defend his rights to say what he thinks – although personally I find it outrageous, appalling, disrespectful and unnecessarily cruel. It’s for other people to judge what it says about him as a man.”

David Ward (Lib Dem, Bradford East) said: “I’m critical of what she did to this country and places like Bradford in particular in the 80s but using that sort of language George has is just sickening and beyond the pale – but why should we be surprised?”

Kris Hopkins (Con, Keighley) said: “In a civilised society we owe a statesperson dignity, much more dignity that George can muster. It says more about the little person he is compared to the great leader Margaret Thatcher was.

“I feel quite disappointed actually because there’s a demonisation of George going on. He’s an intelligent person some of the time. If he could only engage that big brain in more thoughtful way he would gain more respect. But these tweets are just about ego, saying look at me I can say rude things. It undermines him and undermines the people he represents.”

But last night Mr Galloway was unrepentant about his remarks saying: “I hated Margaret Thatcher so do not ask me to pretend I’m not glad she has gone, unlike the drivelling lickspittles and sycophants whose crocodile tears are fusing their iPads and laptops.”

Among the other politicians who paid their respects to Baroness Thatcher, whose legacy from her 11 years as Britain’s first woman premier continues to divide opinion around the country, was Bradford South Labour MP Gerry Sutcliffe.

He said he did not agree with her policies but recognised her leadership qualities. He said: “I think she had a devastating impact on working class communities. We’re still paying the price for her policies. Her strength was she was a leader. The fact that I disagreed with most of the things she did doesn’t take away from that fact.”

Keighley-born Conservative MP Eric Pickles, a former leader of Bradford Council, tweeted: “Margaret Thatcher gave this country the confidence to believe in itself. A Great PM and the Great Briton.”