Diane Abbott sparks fury over Britain's immigration views as she draws pre-Nazi Germany comparisons

Diane Abbott sparked fury on Wednesday evening after she compared those with concerns about immigration in Britain to people who "scapegoated" minority groups in pre-Nazi Germany. 

In a speech about immigration the shadow Home Secretary said the economic crash had "heightened" the debate about immigration and likened it to the atmosphere in Germany between 1919 and 1933, telling an audience in London: "Economic collapse has always led to scapegoating the other". 

Her remarks sparked concern among MPs, and Philip Hollobone said: "Diane Abbott has always been wrong about immigration and her latest remarks demonstrate how completely out of touch she is with the majority of public opinion out there in the real world.

"I'm afraid her London-centric anti-Brexit views appear to be more warped than ever."

Ms Abbbott said: "The debate around immigration has been incredibly heightened by the economic consequence of the 2008 crash. Historically, such as in the period of the Weimar Republic in Germany between the wars, economic collapse has always led to scapegoating the other."

Ms Abbott also pledged that Labour would allow parents of child refugees to join them in the UK, prompting warnings that such a decision would lead to more deaths in the Mediterranean as families send unaccompanied minors to make the risky journey alone. 

She said: "This commitment underlines our commitment to human rights. This is the application of Labour values and it is the right thing to do."

The Conservatives said the changes would put lives at risk.

"Labour's policy would risk breaking up families, creating a dangerous incentive for children to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean and on to the UK on their own," a spokesman said.

"Our immigration policy will always support those in genuine need and those who need the most."

However, Ms Abbott said most migrants were driven by the need to escape the desperate conditions they were living in rather than so-called "pull" factors.

"The 'push' factors on migrants far outweigh any other issue," she said.