THE SNP’s Brexit spokesman told the Commons some MPs "cheered with delight" at news of starvation in Venezuela.

Peter Grant claimed news of hardship in Venezuela was greeted in such a way in order to make "cheap political points" against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

But Conservative Mark Menzies described the claim as "grotesque and untrue".

Their remarks were made in the House of Commons during a debate on the UK's position on sanctions towards Venezuela in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

READ MORE: In Venezuela it's not as simple as good guys and bad guys

Grant said: "It is important that we recognise the rights of people in other countries to choose their own governments, even if we disagree with them.

"And it has to be said that it has not been among the finest moments of this Parliament when members have openly cheered with delight the news that people in Venezuela are facing starvation, simply because that starvation was caused by failed policies that could then be thrown back at the Leader of the Opposition."

Grant accused members of "making cheap political points out of human misery".

Menzies reacted strongly to the suggestions and called for Parliament to back sanctions in order to punish the "regime" of president Nicolas Maduro.

He said: "Let me tell you, I have experienced first hand the brutality and the human rights abuses the Maduro regime have inflicted on its own citizens.

"I take real objection to the contribution from Mr Grant, where he claimed that members on these benches had in some way celebrated the misery and the human rights abuses taking place on the people of Venezuela.

"That is both a grotesque and an untrue allegation.

"It is grotesque and untrue because people on this side of the House know the need for the sanctions regime to be introduced."

Mr Menzies said it is important to bring sanctions against Venezuela.

He said the regime had entered hardship, not because of collapsing oil prices, but because of president Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez playing "fast and loose with the constitution".

Labour former minister Chris Bryant said Venezuela is "not only perpetuating poverty on its people" but is also risking "war, and civil war" across the entire region.

MPs later approved no-deal Brexit contingency regulations to transfer into UK law the EU sanctions regime on Burma, Venezuela, Guinea-Bissau and Iran.

Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan said the regulations seek to "substantially mirror" the measures in the corresponding EU regime.