Leave supporter and ERG member Mark Francois demanded an apology from Labour’s David Lammy after his comments likening the Brexiteer group to Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party. Mr Francois said it was “ridiculous” how the ERG have faced name calling for simply wanting to leave the European Union.  He told TalkRadio host Julia Hartley-Brewer: “To be honest I think it is completely ridiculous and the man made himself look an utter fool.

“My father was in the royal navy in World War 2, he fought the Nazis so to be compared to Nazis is deeply offensive.”

The TalkRadio host then played devil’s advocate by arguing it may be better if politicians didn’t use World War 2 rhetoric as metaphors for the politics of today.

She added it would be better if politicians focus on the future of the country rather than the past.

Mr Francois replied: “Well what David did was quite deliberate.

“In the ERG we have been called all sorts of things over the last few months.

“The Chancellor of Exchequer called us extremists, Chris Patten called us vermin, Donald Tusk memorably sent us all to hell and now David has called us Nazis.

“What have we done, what sin have we committed to receive all of this, we just want to leave the European Union.

“We have not come out for the slaughter of the first born we have just said we want to leave the EU which is what 17.4 million people voted for.

“And we get called a Nazi in return, personally I think Lammy was ridiculous and should apologise.”

Labour MP David Lammy defended himself after he was confronted by BBC’s Andrew Marr for his comparison between Jacob Rees-Mogg’s European Research Group and Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party.

The Labour MP was shown a clip of himself speaking at an anti-Brexit rally in which he implied the ERG should not be appeased, comparing it to the appeasement of the Nazis before World War 2.

At the rally, he said: “I’m just looking over there at Winston Churchill. On the 30th of September 1938 he stood up in Parliament and he said we will not appease Hitler.

“I’m looking across to Nelson Mandela who will not give into apartheid. And today we say ‘We will not give in to the ERG”

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