Winner of the 2004 series of The X Factor, Steve Brookstein, has taken to Twitter to launch a rant against One Direction's Louis Tomlinson, calling him 'shockingly terrible' and claiming that his success was a result of show fixing.

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Louis' mother saw the tweets, and took him to task, saying:
"Hi I'm Louis's mum. My family have always liked you and bought your records. Why be so cruel?
"Why shame him in public? He was sad about his audition. He was incredibly nervous. Listen to his YouTube.
"He is 18 Steve! I honestly thought you were a nice bloke. Sadly for us now what we were told about you seems accurate."

Rather than apologise, Brookstein appeared unrepentant, tweeting:
"If you are Louis's mum. Get the poor lad some singing lessons for Christmas. A couple of dozen at least," he said.
"I've heard his YouTube. Auto-Tune all over it. I don't blame him. I blame Simon [Cowell] for putting him in the public eye.

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"If he was a builder he wouldn't be able to work on a house. He would need to learn his trade. Why do you think this is ok?

"Listen, he is a rouge trader. A Mickey Mouse cowboy builder. Don't blame me for exposing his poor workmanship. End of."

Brookstein also hinted that Louis did not deserve his place in the finals, saying:
"There should be an enquiry over show fixing. He is shockingly terrible. It's like Les Dawson comedy bad."
Brookstein's career has slumped since his 2004 win, and he has been vocal in his attacks on the Simon Cowell and the show itself.

Earlier this year he was reduced performing to a crowd of 50 who paid £2.50 each to hear him sing in a village pub, where he told the audience "This is what happens when you fall out with Simon Cowell."
After tweeting Tomlinson's mum, Brookstein went on to tweet Louis directly, saying: "You have a great opportunity. Take singing lessons and become a proper singer. Work on your breathing and support."
Louis appears to have had the last laugh however, and has refused to be dragged into the argument, simply tweeting Brookstein back:
"Steve you're my idol!"