‘Britain EU exit like Scotland leaving UK’ - Clegg

BRITAIN pulling out of the European Union is “like Scotland pulling out of the UK”, Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg claimed, as he and Nigel Farage traded insults in the second televised debate on Europe.

Nigel Farage looks on as Nick Clegg speaks. Picture: Getty

Mr Farage came out on top again in the snap YouGov poll by 68 per cent to 27 per cent, a bigger margin than the first debate which was 56 per cent 37 per cent, after the UKIP leader appealed to voters to join a “people’s army” to get Britain back again after it had “been given away through lies and deceit”.

He claimed that Mr Clegg had “wilfully lied” over his claims that only seven per cent of the UK’s laws were made in the European Union.

Mr Clegg hit back by saying that Mr Farage had “made up” facts to support his case.

The Deputy Prime Minister also produced a UKIP leaflet with a picture of a Native American saying: “He ignored immigration, now he lives in a reservation.”

He asked if people should call Mr Farage “Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse”.

Later he added that Mr Farage’s claim in the first debate that 485 million Europeans would move to Britain was as ridiculous “as me saying five million Scots will move to Orpington next Sunday. It just won’t happen.”

Mr Farage said he did not recognise the leaflet “or agree with its sentiments” but said that Mr Clegg had been duplicitous about offering a referendum in 2010.

He said: “You said [in the first debate] read the small print. Well I did read the small print and it was unequivocal.”

Much on the debate focused on Mr Farage’s comments in the first debate that the EU “has blood on its hands” over Ukraine and that he “admired” Russian President Vladimir Putin who has just annexed Crimea. Mr Clegg described the comments as “indefensible”.