Right-wing philosopher Roger Scruton has been sacked as a British government adviser after a string of controversial comments including denying that Islamophobia was a real problem.
Prof Scruton has been dismissed with “immediate effect” for his “unacceptable comments”, a government spokesman said.
In an interview for British magazine, the New Statesman, Mr Scruton was quoted as saying that that "Islamophobia" was a "nonsense" propaganda word "invented by the Muslim Brotherhood in order to stop discussion of a major issue".
He was also critical of financier George Soros who has become the target of a Hungarian government attacks on his foundations that have funded pro-migrant groups.
The right-wing government has taken a hard-line stance against migrants, building border fences and introducing laws to restrict Muslim migrants into the country.
The government has portrayed Mr Soros, who is Jewish, as a puppet master in a series of campaigns that critics have said are anti-Semitic.
Mr Scruton said: “Anybody who doesn’t think that there’s a Soros empire in Hungary has not observed the facts.”
He added said it was “nonsense” to accuse Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán of anti-Semitism.
“The Hungarians were extremely alarmed by the sudden invasion of huge tribes of Muslims from the Middle East,” he added.
A spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the British opposition Labour Party, said on Wednesday: “Anybody in a public position who makes those kinds of remarks should not be in that position.”
The sacking followed previous calls for the removal of Mr Soros from the unpaid chairmanship of a housing advisory group. He had held the position since November last year.
The opposition Labour party said that previous comments were “hateful” on subjects including homosexuality and Islam.
