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Leave Means Leave mocked for being ‘pale, male and stale’

Jacob Rees-Mogg at a Leave Means Leave event. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA. - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

The re-launched Leave Means Leave campaign has been mocked after its website listed just two female and one person of colour in its list of 46 backers.

The ‘Leave Means Leave’ campaign is increasing activity this autumn in a panic move to shore up support for a hard Brexit, and in response to increased momentum for a People’s Vote.

This week Nigel Farage announced he would be going ‘back on the road’ to fight against the prime minister’s Chequers plan after predicting that there will be a ‘huge surrender’ over Brexit this Autumn.

Farage is likely to be in good company with the number of backers behind the campaign that are predominantly white and male.

Among those backing Leave Means Leave includes Sir Christopher Chope MP, who talked out the bill of upskirting to mass public disapproval and condemnation from his own prime minister, and Sir Gerald Howarth who told the Muslim community in 2005 to ‘go to another country’ if they didn’t like ‘our way of life’.



Also supporting the campaign is Kelvin Hopkins MP who has been suspended from the Labour Party over sexual harassment allegations.

The list of backers has been ridiculed on Twitter for being ‘pale, male and stale’.

One tweeted: ‘Nice use of B&W photos to reduce the overall gammoniness of the page.’

Dominic Moore said: ‘They’re a diverse bunch aren’t they. Definitely representative of the UK population.’

Clara Wiggins claimed: ‘This is just a load of old white men terrified at giving up power.’

Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, co-founder of For our Future’s Sake (FFS), said: ‘It is a damning indictment of the Brexit campaign that they only have two women and one person of colour to be an official supporter of their campaign, out of 46 listed.

‘This shows to young people and students everywhere that Leave Means Leave and leading Brexiters do not represent the broad diversity of the UK and do not share their interests’.

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