EU referendum: Delia Smith condemns Ukip's Brexit poster as 'anti-human' during Channel 4 debate

Delia Smith during the final EU referendum TV debate on Channel 4
Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire
Hatty Collier23 June 2016
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TV chef Delia Smith condemned Ukip’s pro-Brexit poster as "anti-human" just hours after Nigel Farage pulled out of the final EU referendum TV debate.

Popular TV cook Ms Smith was speaking during a live Channel 4 rotating panel discussion, which the Ukip leader announced he would not take part in earlier today due to “family issues”.

Sat in the audience wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “let’s be having’ EU”, she was asked by host Jeremy Paxman what she thought about the tone of the referendum campaign.

Ms Smith said: "It's got darker and darker as the time has gone on and I really think its darkest moment was when we saw the poster.

"When I looked at the poster and saw the caption I didn't think it was just offensive, I thought it was anti-human. That's how I felt about it."

The poster, which showed hundreds of migrants queuing to get into Europe with the slogan "Breaking Point", was attacked by MPs from across the political spectrum during the broadcast.

Labour's Yvette Cooper, who was part of the first discussion panel with former Tory MP Louise Mensch, former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe and rapper Akala, joined in the offensive against the poster.

Campaign: Nigel Farage launched the EU referendum poster in Smith Square, London
Philip Toscano/PA Wire

She said: "What the Leave campaignhave done is push lies and also pit human beings against other human beings.

"That is what is wrong, immoral and just not British."

But Ms Mensch hit back and said: "We are sitting up here regretting the tone and yet I am trying very hard not to say anything nasty about people on the Remain side who I genuinely believe are campaigning for what they believe is right and proper and best for Britain.

"I hope Yvette will consider if she can perhaps stop saying that we are pitting humans against humans and acting with vile hatred ... at this stage of the argument, haven't we had all of that stuff out?"

She also stressed that "person after person after person" from the Leave campaign had condemned the poster.

EU referendum campaign - in pictures

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