Telford's Kuldip Sahota blames Brexit for wife's racial abuse - 'I thought we had voted to send you home'

Kuldip Sahota said a youth came up to his wife Sukhi, used offensive language and added: "I thought we had voted to send you home".

Councillor Sahota spoke of the attack at the Labour Conference, where he described a new feeling of fear following the referendum.

• Video contains racially offensive language

The veteran politician, who has been in Shropshire for 40 years, warned: "Brexit is in danger of putting community relations back by some 50 years in our country."

He spoke days after a bottle attack on a Polish man in Telford, which is believed to be racially motivated.

Councillor Sahota said his 57-year-old wife, who has lived with him in the UK for more than 40 years, was "really upset" about it and reported the matter to police.

Speaking to Labour delegates in Liverpool, he said it was far from an isolated incident and called for community cohesion in the wake of Brexit.

The speech given to the Labour Party conference

Councillor Sahota said: "I am not here to explain the meaning of Brexit, because nobody knows what it means, not even the Prime Minister.

"However, I am here to talk about the Brexit effect on community relations.

"Two days after the EU referendum, my wife was closing the shop and a youth approached her, and he said: 'I thought we had voted to send you home'.

"She was really upset about it, and has been in this country for 40 years.

"Obviously, the police were involved and so on. But this was not an isolated incident. This happened everywhere, up and down our country.

"The language used by some in the referendum campaign was verging on racism which reminded me of the 60s and the 70s.

"The language and images, bashing so called 'bloody foreigners' as if they are responsible for the woes of our country. Language even Enoch Powell would have been proud of.

"Brexit is in danger of putting community relations back by some 50 years in our country.

"As we move forward, the referendum result, we must all work hard to eradicate this poisonous hatred once and for all.

"Only Labour values will steer us to a future where community cohesion is at the heart of all that we do."

Reaction to Kudlip Sahota's claims

Councillor Richard Overton, who also served as number two when Councillor Sahota was in the top job, said the Sikh couple had been pillars of the community for decades and "deserved more respect".

He also said the council would fully back the police in cracking down on anyone found to be committing hate crimes following the results of the EU referendum in June.

"It is completely unacceptable that Councillor Sahota's wife was subjected to such comments," Councillor Overton said.

"Both Kuldip and Sukhi have been responsible pillars of the community in Dawley and Telford for decades.

"She was clearly very upset about it and deserves more respect than she received that day.

"We must be tolerant of each other in Telford irrespective of creed or colour, and as a council we would firmly back the police in cracking down on all forms of racially-motivated hate crime.

"There is no place for it in our society."

West Mercia Police temporary chief inspector James Dunn said he was determined to encourage victims of hate crime to have the confidence to report any incidents.

He urged victims to call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org