A TORY MP has apologised for defending comments made by a colleague about the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Andrew Bridgen said he had caused  "a great deal of distress and offence" when defending Jacob Ress-Mogg.

Yesterday, Rees-Mogg apologised after saying that the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster which killed 72 people should have ignored the advice of the firefighters to stay put.

“I think if either of us were in a fire, whatever the fire brigade said, we would leave the burning building," he said.

“It just seems the common-sense thing to do and it is such a tragedy that that didn’t happen.”

READ MORE: Jacob Rees-Mogg says sorry over Grenfell tower comments

An apology from the Leader of the Commons did not prevent calls for him to resign, neither did it stop Bridgen from defending him.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5's PM show, he called Rees-Mogg's comments "uncharacteristically clumsy".

He added: "Jacob is a leader.

"He's an authority figure and what he has failed to realise is that in a life-threatening and stressful situation most people will defer to the advice of an authority figure, be that someone from the fire authority or the police, and not come to their own conclusions.

"And as we know, in regards to Grenfell that advice was flawed."

When asked if Rees-Mogg was implying he was "cleverer" than the people who took the fire brigade's advice, Brigden said: "But we want very clever people running the country, don't we?"

"And that is a bi-product of what Jacob is. And that is why he is in a position of authority.

"What he is actually saying is, he would have made a better decision than the authority figures who gave that advice."

Bridgen, who represents North West Leicestershire, has since apologised for his comments.