A father-of-four at the centre of a political storm over St George’s Cross flags on his house being tweeted by an MP has demanded an apology.

Dan Ware, from Strood, found himself in the spotlight after Emily Thornberry, the former shadow attorney general, made public a picture of the outside of his home as voters went to the polls.

She later quit following an angry reaction to her tweet, which went online last Thursday as voters were going to the polls.

It showed Dan Ware’s house, in Southwark Road, with flags flying from it and his white van parked in the driveway and was captioned simply ‘Image from Rochester.’

The tweet was criticised as being patronising, snobbish and the row featured on the front page of a national newspaper.

Ms Thornberry is a former University of Kent student who stood for Labour against Julian Brazier in Canterbury and Whitstable in 2001.

Announcing her resignation, she said: “I sent a tweet which has caused offence to some people. That was never my intention and I have apologised.

“However I will not let anything distract from Labour’s chance to win the coming general election.

I have therefore told Ed Miliband I will resign from the shadow cabinet.”

Mr Ware, 36, who works in the motor trade and property maintenance and is a cage fighter, who has now been dubbed ‘white van man’ in the tabloids, told reporters the flags had been on his house since the World Cup and that he had no idea a by-election was on in his constituency.

The national newspaper which featured him on its front page on Friday took him to Ms Thornberry’s doorstep in Islington, North London so he could knock on her door and demand an apology.

The moment was videoed by journalists and Mr Ware, who is described by neighbours as a ‘gentle giant’ waits for a moment for someone to answer, but is left disappointed when no one comes to the door.

He said: “No one is in. I’ve knocked a couple of times to get an apology, but if no one is in then there is no apology.”

After resigning, Ms Thornberry, tweeted: “I apologise for any offence caused by the 3 flag picture. People should fly the England flag with pride!”