Sir Vince Cable denies branding older Brexit voters racist

Sir Vince Cable has denied suggesting older Brexit voters were racist.

In a speech at his party's spring conference, the Lib Dem leader said too many older people who voted Leave longed for a world where "faces were white" and were "driven by nostalgia".

Tory MPs have labelled the comments as "wrong" and "unwise".

But Sir Vince called it a "simple truth of the matter" that the majority of the older generation voted Leave while younger people favoured Remain.

In his speech on Sunday, Sir Vince said a "nostalgia for a world where passports were blue, faces were white and the map was coloured imperial pink" had driven some older voters to Brexit.

"And it was their votes on one wet day in June which crushed the hopes and aspirations of young people for years to come," he added.

Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether he was suggesting older Brexit voters were racist, Sir Vince said: "I didn't suggest that at all."

But he repeated his claim that "nostalgia for that world" was a factor in how people had voted.

"Why else has so much fuss been made about the change in the colour of the passport?" he added.