A UKIP parliamentary candidate has sparked outrage by tweeting that a dead Syrian boy’s parents were to blame for his death for being 'greedy' and 'queue-jumping' into Europe.

The heart-wrenching images of the bodies of two refugee brothers shocked the nation today after they were washed up on a Turkish beach.

Galip, five, and Aylan Kurdi, three, were on an overcrowded dinghy sailing from Turkey with refugees who had fled the war in Syria, when it capsized off the Greek island of Kos.

Failed UKIP parliamentary candidate Peter Bucklitsch, tweeted today: “The little Syrian boy was well clothed & well fed.

"He died because his parents were greedy for the good life in Europe. Queue jumping costs."

He later tweeted: 

Mr Bucklitsch stood for the Wimbledon seat in the elections in May, losing to Conservative Stephen Hammond.

He got 2,476 (five per cent) of the votes compared to Mr Hammond’s 25,225 votes.

Mr Hammond said: “I find Mr Bucklitsch’s comments appalling and repugnant.

“It is a humanitarian crisis – people should be showing some compassion.”

In a second tweet, Mr Bucklitsch, an accountant and computer consultant who is himself a father-of-two and stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate in 2010, said: "Predictable unthinking outrage. Turkey is not a place where the family was in danger. Leaving that safe place put the family in peril.”

The reaction to his tweets has been strong.

Winston McKenzie, Ukip’s candidate for Croydon North in May’s election, suggested his party colleague was a “nutter” who was “best ignored”. 

He said: “You get the odd nutter in every party, really. The fact that immigration is so potent on everyone’s agenda at the moment, you get the odd nutter, the odd idiot, who will come up with captions like that. And those type of people are best ignored. They really let the side down.”

UKIP London Mayor hopeful Suzanne Evans said of the tweet: "I take a pretty dim view of it"

"This picture has caused consternation and I can understand why.

"There are questions to be asked. Some people are attacking Peter on Twitter but they should be attacking people traffickers who have charged those people God knows what to get there.

"There is a genuine question of seeking asylum at the first country they come to.

"Some Islamic countries are not taking their fair share of refugees. 

"Peter could have expressed those serious issues in a more humane way with rather more sympathy."
Labour parliamentary candidate Councillor Andrew Judge, who stood against Mr Bucklitsch in this year’s elections, said: "It is appalling.

"If these represent their views, they have very poor views. UKIP need to reject him as a candidate and reject these comments. 

"We have a moral obligation to take 10,000 refugees. They are fleeing a totalitarian regime."  

Meanwhile in nearby Kingston the council is still looking for people willing to house a Syrian refugee.

Kingston Council leader Kevin Davis said he had also written to other council leaders to urge them to do the same saying: "As a wealthy country I believe we must do what we can to help."

Can you help house a Syrian refugee?