A NORTH Hampshire MP has defended himself on social media after being accused of breaking coronavirus tier restrictions.

Ranil Jayawardena, member of parliament for North East Hampshire, was reportedly spotted sitting at a table with two others at a farm shop on Thursday, December 10.

A member of the public tweeted: "Here is my MP, Ranil Jayawardena, today (10 Dec) at a local farm shop cafe. Tier 2 rules say you must not socialise with anyone outside your bubble. Or was this Australian style socialising Mr Jayawardena?"

However, the MP's team responded to the tweet by stating that the gathering was a "work meeting" and "necessary".

The rules for tier 2 state that indoor meetings between households are permitted for reasons of childcare, voluntary and charitable service, and work.

Team Ranil tweeted: "Please be assured that no rules were broken here. Work meetings are allowed under Tier 2 rules."

A spokesman for Mr Jayawardena's team told the Advertiser: "No rules were broken here. This was a work meeting and - as stated on the Government website - meetings of this nature are permitted.

"Some Twitter users have twisted the rules for political reasons."