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The party has since withdrawn support for the candidate.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel