A Labour MP has received a dressing down from his own party after he described Nicola Sturgeon as ‘ the wee lass with the tin helmet on ’ . Party whip David Hamilton was accused of sexism after he made the ‘ disgraceful slur ’ about the First Minister in a speech at Scottish Labour ’ s spring conference . The remark , which is thought to be a reference to the SNP leader ’ s height and haircut , was greeted with laughter by party members in the audience . Fury : Party whip David Hamilton ( left ) was accused of sexism after he made the ‘ disgraceful slur ’ about Nicola Sturgeon ( right ) Mr Hamilton , who is a whip at Westminster , was later ‘ pulled up ’ about his comments by deputy Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale at a women ’ s event . During an address to the meeting in Edinburgh on Saturday , Mr Hamilton said the party ‘ has got to change ’ in Scotland . Speaking about the General Election campaign , he said : ‘ We ’ ve got to go out there and not just be negative about the SNP because that ’ s very easy to do when you see the wee lass with the tin helmet on. ’ He finished the speech , which he said would be his last to the party ’ s conference as an MP , by saying : ‘ Let ’ s stick it to the SNP. ’ SNP politicians immediately demanded that Mr Hamilton be disciplined . Scottish health secretary Shona Robison wrote to Miss Dugdale on Twitter : ‘ Not impressed with David Hamilton MPs sexist comments today , were you ? ’ Scottish Labour deputy leader Kezia Dugdale later 'pulled up' Mr Hamilton for his controversial remark . Miss Dugdale replied : ‘ No and he was pulled up about it at the women ’ s reception ’ . She added that Mr Hamilton had attended the event to ‘ hear the feedback ’ . Owen Thompson , the SNP candidate who is hoping to become the MP in Mr Hamilton ’ s Midlothian seat , said : ‘ This sexist comment - and the reaction in the hall at Labour Conference - proves that the dinosaurs are sadly still roaming the Labour Party in Scotland. ’ A spokesman for Miss Sturgeon added : ‘ It ’ s disappointing to see Labour are stuck in the past - no wonder more and more Scottish women are planning to vote SNP on May 7. ’ Mr Hamilton worked as a miner for 19 years after leaving school and spent two months behind bars during the 1984-85 strike before being cleared . He was one of 206 workers sacked during the dispute that left him unemployed and blacklisted . In January he announced that he would be stepping down at the election from his seat in Midlothian where he has been the MP since 2001 . In his resignation letter , he wrote : ‘ I believe that it is the right time for me to stand aside to allow the Labour Party in Midlothian to select a younger member , with fresh ideas and the hunger to meet the challenges of this changed landscape. ’ He also said that he wanted to spend more time with his wife , children and grandchildren . Miss Sturgeon , who is thought to be around 5ft 4in , became Scottish First Minister last year after Alex Salmond stepped down following the independence referendum . Last night a Scottish Labour spokesman said : ‘ David Hamilton acknowledged his comment was inappropriate immediately after he made it .
Party whip David Hamilton made remark about Nicola Sturgeon in speech . Comment thought to be a reference to the SNP leader ’ s height and haircut . Hamilton later ‘ pulled up ’ by deputy Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale .