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The Archbishop of Canterbury has accused Brexit-backing newspapers of "stirring up hatred" in a major intervention on the EU.

Justin Welby, who voted Remain last year, hit out at headlines that branded public figures "public enemies" and "mutineers".

The Daily Telegraph branded a group of Tory MPs "the Brexit mutineers" amid claims they would amend the government's flagship Repeal Bill .

And the Daily Mail dubbed High Court judges "enemies of the people" when they ruled MPs should vote on triggering the Brexit process.

"I think there needs to be much more discipline in our use of language," the Archbishop told ITV's Peston on Sunday.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

"The use of expressions about public enemies, the use of stuff like mutineers, all these headlines which seem conditioned to stir up hatred.

"There is a responsibility on anyone who is setting public opinion to say yes, disagree, we're a democracy, of course we disagree, robustly, sometimes very toughly.

"But we have to say we're part of the same country and we will not surmount the challenge of Brexit or not Brexit without unity."

Mr Welby also told the programme the Irish border issue was "one of the toughest and most difficult and most urgent issues we've got to face" in Brexit talks.

He added: "It's not just a question of trade and economics.

"At its heart is the question of identity of Ireland, of Northern Ireland, the unionists, the nationalists in Northern Ireland, the whole of the rest of Ireland saying who are we.

"And the implicit deal that came in the Good Friday Agreement about the questions of identity and the formation of identity - that expresses itself in issues of trade and economics, but is much more profound."

He added bluntly: "I don’t personally know a way in which it can happen.

"But then this is not my specialist area. I’m a clergyman, not a trade negotiator."