Warnings 'xenophobic' Brexit campaign 'has spurred a surge in racist abuse on the streets'

"Divisive and xenophobic" campaigning over the EU referendum has spurred a surge in racist abuse, a Conservative grandee has warned.

Baroness Warsi, who switched from Leave to Remain over concerns over the tone of the pro-Brexit campaign, said that organisations working with race crime victims had reported a rise in street abuse following the EU vote.

Ms Warsi said that she wanted Brexit backers to acknowledge that their campaign "was divisive and was xenophobic".

She urged them to publicly announce that people from all backgrounds are welcome in the UK in an attempt to heal the rift.

A number of politicians have voiced concerns that the EU Referendum has unleashed xenophobia and racism.

Several groups on social media have also been collecting evidence of racist incidents since the attack as evidence that the referendum has led to a spike in hate incidents.