Google has been hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination against conservative-minded white men, in a legal case that threatens a fresh bout of the culture wars that engulfed the internet company last summer.

The suit has been brought by James Damore, an engineer who was sacked in August after his questioning of Google policies to increase the hiring of women and minorities caused an outcry inside the company. It also names a second engineer, David Gudeman, who has also claimed wrongful termination after leaving the company in 2016. The company did not immediately have a response to the suit.

Since leaving Google, Mr Damore has spoken out widely against the company, attacking it for what he calls “groupthink” over gender and other diversity issues. His case became a rallying point for conservatives last year at a time when cultural battles stirred by President Donald Trump were intensifying nationally.