Nigel Farage: MP’s death has taken momentum out of campaign
His comment came as he was accused by chancellor George Osborne of “whipping up division” with a poster showing a column of migrants walking through the European countryside under the slogan ‘Breaking Point’, which the chancellor said was reminiscent of extremist literature produced in the 1930s.
Leading Leave campaigner Michael Gove also distanced himself from the image, saying he “shuddered” when he saw it.
But Farage denied he was attempting to stoke up hatred, insisting that in fact he had been the “victim” of such a campaign.
Speaking on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, Farage said he believed voters who had made up their minds to vote Leave would still turn out on June 23 to do so, but appeared to accept that the drive to win over waverers may have been hit by Cox’s death on Thursday, which led to a three-day suspension in campaigning.
“I think we have momentum,” said the leading advocate of Brexit. “We did have momentum until this terrible tragedy. It has had an impact on the whole campaign for everybody.
“When you are taking on the establishment, you need to have momentum. I don’t know what’s going to happen over the course of the next three to four days, but (this was) the action of one person with serious mental issues. What we saw was an act of terrorism.”
He added: “It is difficult to tell, but I think those who have made up their minds to leave, because they want to get control over their country back, will go out and vote on Thursday.”
Meanwhile,a former member of the British National Party (BNP) is to contest the Batley and Spen by-election following the death of Jo Cox.
In the days after Cox’s death, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and Ukip announced their intention not to stand in the by-election.
However Jack Buckby, a member of Liberty GB, said Labour had “blood on its hands”, and there was “too much at stake” to allow them to retake Batley and Spen unchallenged.
Buckby’s announcement was criticised as “inflammatory” by the Green party group leader on Kirklees council.
Cllr Andrew Cooper said: “If we have learnt anything in the last few weeks and certainly in the last few days, it is that people need to be more respectful to people who have different and contrasting views.”
Buckby, 23, who is a former BNP member and stood for election for Liberty GB in the 2014 European elections, said: “We cannot let Jo Cox’s tragic death be in vain. We must use this election as an opportunity to create dialogue and give a voice to the millions of working and middle class Britons who are seeing their communities trashed by an arrogant and out-of-touch political class.”
Meanwhile, immigration extremists would be “neutralised” if the UK leaves the EU and “takes back” control of its borders, Boris Johnson has argued.
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