Nigel Farage will be remembered for 'disgusting poster' and 'toxic' legacy, says Caroline Lucas

'He has used his position to whip up hatred against migrants and divert attention from the real challenges this country is facing'

Ukip leader Nigel Farage poses during a media launch for an EU referendum poster in London, Britain June 16, 2016 (Reuters)

Nigel Farage will be remembered for his "disgusting poster" and for using the "suffering of refugees for political gain," Caroline Lucas has said.

In the wake of Mr Farage resigning as leader of Ukip, Ms Lucas said his legacy is "toxic and unforgivable".

The former leader of the Green Party said: “He has used his position to whip up hatred against migrants and divert attention from the real challenges this country is facing.

"During the referendum campaign he did the unimaginable by sinking to new lows. He will be remembered for that disgusting poster, and for using the suffering of refugees for his own political gain."

Mr Farage has been accused of stooping to racist imagery or Nazi-style propaganda tactics when he unveiled the infamous "Breaking Point" poster.

"The EU has failed us all," the poster read, showing a winding queue of refugees entering the EU.

The former Ukip leader refused to apologise for the widely condemned poster, saying: “I apologised for the timing… but I can’t apologise for the truth.”

The poster was reported to police, under the pretext it allegedly incites racial hatred.

It provoked a strong reaction among MPs, with SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon branding it "disgusting" while Chancellor George Osborne said it was "disgusting and vile" and had "echoes of literature used in the 1930s".

In the wake of his resignation, former Labour leader Ed Miliband told the BBC: "It's a legacy of stirring up division. I am not sorry to see Nigel Farage leave the political scene."