Magnum has been forced to apologise after its advertisement was branded offensive for comparing the “guilty pleasure” of eating an ice cream to gay people being imprisoned.

In the ad, heard by listeners on Spotify, a man talks about not being able to hug his partner for fear of being imprisoned, Pink News reported.

He tells the listener: “A hug for my boyfriend. That’s my guilty pleasure.

“Because in my country, just a simple hug with the man I love could send me to prison for more than 10 years.“

A Magnum spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “Magnum has a history of championing LGBTQ+ rights and Pride Month is a moment when lots of us celebrate progress.

“We’re sorry for any offence caused by the advert, which aimed to bring awareness to the injustices people still face around the world.”

The advert provoked widespread criticism from listeners.

A recent Stonewall report revealed that one in five LGBT people in Britain have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months.