Archbishop of Canterbury speaks out against post-EU referendum racism

Justin Welby said 'unacceptable' parts of the EU referendum campaign had encouraged racism and 'poison'

The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken out against an apparent rise in racist attacks after the EU referendum.

In a speech in the House of Lords Justin Welby called for leaders across the country to speak out against the reported incidents.

He argued that "unacceptable" parts of the EU referendum campaign had led to "an outwelling of poison and hatred that I cannot remember this country for very many years".

"It is essential … to challenge the attacks, the xenophobia, and the racism that seem to have felt to have been made acceptable, at least for a while," he said.

David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn have both used their platforms in the House of Commons to speak out against reported incidents, including the daubing of xenophobic graffiti on a Polish cultural centre and a huge recorded rise in verbal abuse.

According to figures released by the National Police Chiefs organisation, police forces across Britain have logged a fivefold increase in hate crime since the EU referendum.

The Archbishop sits in the upper house by virtue of his position in the Church of England.