'Please be kind' - Yorkshire Tea fields 'furious accusations' following Chancellor Rishi Sunak's tweet

Accusations of political bias against Yorkshire Tea came after the Chancellor posed with a sizeable bag of the company's teabags, tweeting about his love of the brand. He said: "Quick Budget prep break making tea for the team. Nothing like a good Yorkshire brew."

Stressing that Yorkshire Tea has no bias or political affiliation, and that the Chancellor's tweet was solely a personal endorsement, the company urged keyboard warriors to remember there is a human on the receiving end of angry tweets.

In a series of tweets, Yorkshire Tea said: "So it's been a rough weekend. On Friday, the Chancellor shared a photo of our tea. Politicians do that sometimes (Jeremy Corbyn did it in 2017). We weren't asked or involved - and we said so the same day. Lots of people got angry with us all the same.

"We've spent the last three days answering furious accusations and boycott calls. For some, our tea just being drunk by someone they don't like means it's forever tainted, and they've made sure we know it.

"It's been pretty shocking to see the determination some have had to drag us into a political mud fight. But it's been lovely to see others speak up for us - we're so grateful to everyone who's done that in a civil way (and gutted to see some use it as a reason for more nastiness).

"Speaking directly now, as the person who's been answering these tweets, I know it could have been much worse. It's easier to be on the receiving end of this as a brand than as an individual. There's more emotional distance and I've had a team to support me when it got a bit much.

"But for anyone about to vent their rage online, even to a company - please remember there's a human on the other end of it, and try to be kind."

Mr Sunak's tweet was shared hundreds of times and received nearly 4,000 replies, many of which accused Yorkshire Tea of political bias.