'Even Ukip say the Tories have gone too far': Theresa May attacked over Government's 'xenophobia' at PMQs

'Can I tell the Prime Minister that across the length and breadth of this land, people are totally disgusted by the xenophobic language on display from her Government?'

Xenophobic language used by the Government has left the public “totally disgusted” and “even Ukip" believing the rhetoric has gone too far, the SNP's leader in Westminster has claimed.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions Angus Robertson pointed to Home Secretary Amber Rudd's ditched proposal to force businesses to list the foreign workers they employ.

He also highlighted the controversial advertising campaign launched by Ms May when she was Home Secretary, which told illegal immigrants to "go home".

He said: “Can I remind the Prime Minister when she was Home Secretary she put advertising vans on the streets of this country telling foreigners to go home and at her party conference, we heard that her party is wishing to register foreigners working in the UK. The crackdown and the rhetoric against foreigners by this Government has even led to Ukip, Ukip, saying that things have gone too far."

"Can I tell the Prime Minister that across the length and breadth of this land, people are totally disgusted by the xenophobic language on display from her Government?"

Last week Roger Helmer, Ukip's MEP in the East Midlands, had said plans to “shame” companies who employed foreigners would be branded “fascist” had they been advocated by his party.“I like what Theresa May is doing, she seems to have picked up about 90 per cent of Ukip’s programme. In some way she’s gone far beyond what we’d done,” he added.

But Ms May responded: “Can I say very gently to the right honourable gentleman that I answered two questions on that earlier and I suggest he should have listened to the answer I gave them.

Earlier in the session, responding to a question from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the Prime Minister insisted it was never Government policy to force companies with high proportions of foreign-born workers to release lists of their employees. She added: “Can I say to him that the policy that he has just described was never the policy that the Home Secretary announced – no naming and shaming, no published list of foreign workers, no published data.

“What we are going to consult on is whether we should bring ourselves in line with countries like the United States of America, which collect data in order to be able to ensure they are getting the right skills training for workers in their economy,” she added.