West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock has said he is “delighted” that his personal smartphone app “caught the imagination” of social media users last week, and admitted that he found some of the posts on it “absolutely hilarious”.

Mr Hancock became the first MP to launch his own smartphone app last week and it was quickly inundated with joke posts and memes, and was criticised by tech experts for not being explicitly clear on how the large amounts of personal data the app has access to would be used.

Mr Hancock said: “The point of the app is that I want to use all tools available to communicate with my constituents, and I’m delighted that app’s caught the imagination to the extent it has.

“I think some of the postings on it are absolutely hilarious, but the best thing about it is that the tone of the posts are really positive and cheerful, and I am delighted at the reception we’ve got for a new way of communicating between an MP and the constituency they represent.”

He made the comments at Buckingham Palace shortly before the 10th anniversary dinner of the British Asian Trust.

The dinner was hosted by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and saw a performance from British rapper Naughty Boy.

Sajid Javid, the Communities Secretary, was also in attendance.