ACTOR Hugh Grant has hit back at Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid – after the Chancellor of the Exchequer called the movie megastar ‘incredibly rude’ for refusing to shake his hand.

In an interview with ES Magazine, Mr Javid recalled meeting Mr Grant – a star of blockbusters such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill – at a film premiere.

The MP said he had been “completely shocked” by the rejection of his cordial greeting – but Mr Grant said his refusal was due to Mr Javid’s inaction over the press hacking scandal while he was Culture Secretary.

Mr Javid had said: "I wonder if people like Hugh Grant think they are part of the elite and they look down on working class people no matter what station they reach in life."

The story has been picked up by several national newspapers, including The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph.

In response, a spokesman for Mr Grant said the actor had a different version of events.

They said: “When offered a handshake, Grant’s words were ‘if you don’t mind, I won’t shake your hand because you were rude and dismissive to the victims of press abuse when you met them as Culture Secretary.

“They were people with personal family tragedies who had been abused by sections of the press.”

The spokesman added that Grant was referring to a meeting between Mr Javid and victims of press abuse who reported back that his attitude in the meeting was ‘borderline contemptuous’.

Mr Grant has been at the forefront of the ‘Hacked Off’ campaign calling for stricter press regulation after he himself was one of the celebrity victims of the phone-hacking saga.

Mr Javid was Culture Secretary several years ago, before becoming Home Secretary and, now, Chancellor – and he defended press rights, ruling out further regulation.