An MP with dyslexia has hit out at the "unforgiving nature" of Twitter after being targeted by trolls for making spelling mistakes.
Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove, wrote at length about how dyslexia affects him after being branded "thick" and told he "can't be an MP if you can't even spell".
Writing a defence for people with "unseen challenges" on the social media platform, he wrote: "Every day I get picked up on something I write.
"Mostly it’s kindly or humorous which is appreciated. Sometimes it’s sneering or brutal."
Dr Kyle, who has a doctorate in community development from the University of Sussex, said it sometimes felt as if his eyes and brain were not connected.
"Sometimes words are just shapes. However much I try to engage my brain, the connection just isn’t there. I can see the shape but it simply has no meaning," he said.
Detailing a recent time he was criticised, he said: "Recently I spelled ‘border’ ‘boarder’.
"Most people were forgiving, hundreds were not: ‘thick’ / ‘can’t be an MP if you can’t even spell’ / ‘stupid’ / ‘resign and let someone with a brain take over’ etc."
He recounted how he left school initially with no qualifications before returning to university, aged 25, then going to gain his doctorate.
He added: "Above all I know I must work harder than most to achieve the same: prepping, writing, corresponding, reading...everything!
"This isn’t depressing, it’s liberating. Once you know this you have the tools to succeed.
"And every challenge for a dyslexic is matched with a gift."
Dr Kyle insisted he would never get members of his staff to check his tweets for mistakes despite having been urged to do so, preferring they focus on other work.
He concluded: "So if you’re part of the spelling police there’s 649 other MPs out there, enjoy!
"If sincerity is what matters most to you, then welcome!
"And if after all that you still want to hurl insults the very least you can do is get my name right...
"...it’s Dr Thick to you!"
He has been widely praised for sharing his message, which has been called "brilliant".
Valerie Vaz, MP for Walsall South, tweeted: "You made one of the best speeches in parliament during the Eu debate recently.
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"You are truly brilliant, true to yourself and have inspired me and others with your story from when you first came into parliament and of course a great campaigner."
While Pat McFadden, Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, said: "If you are losing faith in politics it’s worth remembering there are brilliant people like @peterkyle playing a great leadership role in their constituencies and in Parliament."
Harriet Harman called him "one of our most outstanding MPs".
