Remaining in EU increases likelihood of Cologne-style sex attacks, claims Vote Leave boss

Dominic Cummings tweeted that potential refugee sex attackers could come to the UK once they acquired German citizenship

(AP)

Staying in the EU will increase the chances of a Cologne style mass sex attack on Britain’s streets, the director of the Vote Leave campaign has said.

Dominic Cummings, campaign director of one of the two groups leading the call for Britain to exit the EU, tweeted there was “nothing” to stop migrant sex attackers moving to the UK once they got German citizenship.

He said: "EU law = once Cologne sex abusers get citizenship they can fly to UK & there's nothing we can do. #VoteLeave = safer choice".

The comments come after hundreds of women were sexually assaulted and robbed by gangs of men believed to be of a migrant background during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Cologne.

The attacks - and the subsequent alleged mishandling of the cases by local police - have been seized on by Eurosceptic and anti-immigration politicians as proof that Chancellor Angela Merkel should not have opened German borders to refugees.

A friend of Mr Cummings told the Daily Telegraph: "The basic point is once someone has an EU passport they can come here including if they are convicted criminals, because of free movement and of course nothing Cameron is negotiating will stop that."

Vote Leave is perceived as more moderate with more cross-party support than its rival Brexit campaign Leave.EU.

Leave.EU - which is financed by British businessman Arron Banks - is closely linked to Ukip leader Nigel Farage, and has focused more on immigration fears than the business and bureaucratic reasons to exit.

Mr Farage echoed similar sentiments on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme this week: “What you can't do is take away from ordinary folk out there scenes such as Cologne and saying to themselves in three years’ time all these people will have EU passports and will be able to come to Britain”.