THE Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said Britain does not need to apologise for its historic colonialism.

The former Ukip leader made the comments as he criticised Labour's proposals to investigate the British empire and its associated human rights abuses.

He claimed it was "not even a military empire" and said "this stuff doesn't help".

Speaking in Peterborough, he said: “I think if we obsess about the past, different times and different cultures, it can be very difficult to move forwards. So I think some of this stuff is just not helpful. 

“I don’t think I should apologise for what people did 300 years ago. It was a different world, a different time. 

“You could apply that argument to any civilization, any country and we seem to be terribly keen to apologise for the past and a bit less worried about creating a good future.”

The Brexit Party leader was also asked about whether Britain's colonial history should be taught in schools.

He replied: “If you want to get into British empires, you can compare the British empire with the Belgian empire, the German empire, you compare it with the Spanish empire, compare it to the Portuguese empire and you’d find by comparison with the others we were not even a military empire, we did it on bribery, that’s how the Brits did it. This stuff doesn’t help.”

READ MORE: Scotland's only Brexit Party MEP quits party over homophobia row

Meanwhile, there were problems for Farage in Scotland as his only MEP here quit the party over a homophobia row.

Louis Stedman-Bryce, who was elected to the European Parliament in May, was unhappy with the selection of a Scots General Election candidate who attacked lesbians and "beta males" on social media.

Victor Robert Farrell, from Methil, was chosen as the Brexit Party candidate for Glenrothes. 

The party has since withdrawn support for the candidate.