Video
Labour leadership contender says Brexit campaign had ‘racism at its heart’
Jonathon Read
Clive Lewis is interviewed by Sophy Ridge. Photograph: Sky. - Credit: Archant
Labour leadership contender Clive Lewis said that the pro-Brexit campaign during the EU referendum had 'racism at its heart'.
Speaking to the Sophy Ridge On Sunday show on Sky News, Lewis said: "I think part of the Brexit campaign, and part of the undertone of Brexit, from some politicians, Nigel Farage and others, had racism at its core and its heart.
"They used it as a mechanism to divide our communities, to divide our country."
He added: "How many people of colour, how many people of colour, on the day after the referendum with a sense of dread because of what had happened?
"Ultimately our country had chosen to listen to Boris Johnson, someone who has a track record of racist commentary, of giving credence to racism."
You may also want to watch:
Clarifying his remarks, Lewis tweeted: "Sowing division in our communities was a deliberate strategy of many on the right who pushed for Brexit.
"That doesn't of course mean that everyone who voted for Brexit was racist. The challenge for progressives now is to bring our communities back together."
It comes as the unofficial Leave campaign during the EU referendum, Leave.EU, was criticised for posts about Meghan Markle.
In the tweets they claimed that Prince Harry had been "pussy-whipped".
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.