The family of Winston Churchill has asked the Church of Scientology to stop using images of the former prime minister in its recruitment literature.

The controversial religious organisation has been circulating promotional material to recruit staff in the UK which includes photographs of Churchill along with quotes from some of his most famous speeches.

It has also used Churchill’s image to promote speaking engagements by its members and campaigns to raise money to create new Scientology facilities in Britain.

The church, founded in 1953 by L Ron Hubbard, was last week convicted of defrauding its followers in France, where it is classed as a sect. Paris Criminal Court found the organisation guilty of making unlawful approaches to fragile people using scientifically bogus claims to defraud them of thousands of euros.

Alain Rosenberg, the church’s leader in France, was also fined €30,000 (£26,800) and given a two-year suspended jail sentence. Five other scientologists were fined between €1,000 and €20,000.

Nicholas Soames, the Conservative MP for Mid Sussex and a grandson of Churchill’s, has written to the group asking it to stop using his grandfather’s words and image.

“I expect them to desist from using my grandfather’s image immediately. I don’t know if anything else can be done, but I have written to them and we will see what happens,” said the former armed forces minister.

The church defended its use of Churchill in its materials and accused detractors of “trying to stir up mischief”.

“The use of iconic images, including those available in the public domain, to add colour is of course done very commonly,” said a spokesman.

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