Nigel Farage has been branded “unbelievably insensitive and crass” after claiming the Leave party had emerged victorious in the EU referendum “without a single bullet being fired” in a preemptive victory speech.
The Ukip leader was accused of "bad taste" with his comment, which came just over a week after the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was shot and stabbed to death.
In a speech delivered at a rally in central London as results suggested a Brexit was looking increasingly likely, Mr Farage declared the night a “victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, a victory for decent people”.
“We have fought against the multinationals, we have fought against the big merchant banks, we have fought against big politics, we have fought against lies, corruption and deceit,” he went on.
“And today honesty, decency and belief in nation, I think now is going to win.
“And we will have done it without having to fight, without a single bullet being fired, we'd have done it by damned hard work on the ground.”
His reference to a bullet sparked a furious response on Twitter, which came eight days after the death of Ms Cox, who was attacked in her constituency in Birstall ahead of her weekly surgery.
Mr Farage also called for David Cameron to resign as Prime Minister immediately as senior pro-Brexit Tories backed him to stay on in the event of Britain withdrawing from the EU.
A spokesperson for Ukip declined to comment.
