South Dorset MP Richard Drax has hit back at claims that older people in Dorset church halls who are ‘obsessed with immigrants’ made up a large share of the Brexit vote. 

Sir Vince Cable, who is tipped to become the next Lib-Dem party leader, made the comments at a Westminster lunch.

He claimed a powerful section of the Brexit vote was made up of old people obsessed with worrying about millions of Turks coming to Britain even though they had never met an immigrant. He also characterised much of the Tory Brexit vote as older people he met in church halls in places like Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset, suggesting they had been sold lies.

Sir Vince told a Westminster lunch: “They were overwhelmingly elderly people who were obsessed by the worry of 80 million Turks coming over and being in their village, immigration was a massive issue for them although they never actually encountered any.

“I’m putting it slightly facetiously, but in that age group, which was a very powerful one, mostly Conservative voting, there was a sense of nostalgia - the Britain that they’d been brought up in and loved and were comfortable with was no longer there.”

Mr Drax has now made his feelings clear about the comments made by the Lib-Dem heavyweight. 

He said: “The people of Dorset have a lot of common sense, more so than Vince Cable. 

“The reason so many people voted for Brexit, immigration being one of the reasons, is like me they wanted a sovereign country in control of its own destiny, laws, and all other aspects that make up an independent country, rather than being ruled by unelected bureaucrats who have very little interest in us as a nation. 

“I think it’s an easy thing to say, ‘it’s the older generation that did it’. I don’t agree with that. 

“Some campaigners were very clear on why they wanted to leave the EU.”

Mr Drax added that he felt those that are unhappy with Brexit could ‘bang on til the cows come home’ but that it is now time to move forward. 

“The country has voted to leave, and that’s what we are going to do. 

“I believe we have an exciting future ahead of us.”

West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin was contacted but declined to comment.