A Swedish politician who wanted to show his new tattoo to followers on a social media site accidentally revealed far more than he intended.

Lars Ohly, former leader of Sweden’s Left Party, and supporter of Liverpool Football Club, posted a picture of the liver bird tattooed on his leg.

What he failed to notice was that his genitals were visible in the background.

Mr Ohly, 56, quickly removed the picture after posting it on Instagram, but couldn’t stop the avalanche of comments in social media.

Mr Ohly made light of the embarrassment and said he would be more careful when he posts online.

In an interview with website The Local, Mr Ohly proved to be unashamed and said ‘It’s not very embarrassing really,’ adding that he’s had ‘lots of nice reactions’.