A senior Labour MP has insisted that Nigel Farage’s comments about Romanian immigrants make it “clear he’s a racist”, dismissing party leader Ed Miliband’s refusal to describe him in such terms as “pedantic”.

The Ukip leader has been criticised by members from all the other main UK political parties this weekend after he said in a car-crash interview on LBC Radio that he would feel “uncomfortable” if a Romanian family moved in next door to him.

David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham, described how his parents had arrived in the country as immigrants and experienced similar offensive comments.

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He told the BBC’s Daily Politics programme: “I remember a context in which some people said, ‘you don't want these people living next door to you’ – that was racist.

“What Nigel Farage said over the weekend was racist,” Mr Lammy said. “So I’m clear, he’s a racist.”

Shape Created with Sketch. Ukip gaffes and controversies Show all 18 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Ukip gaffes and controversies 1/18 European elections poster Party's latest EU election posters branded 'racist' and compared to BNP campaigns Rex 2/18 Farage 'car-crash' interview Ukip spin doctor forced to intervene as Farage falters in disastrous radio interview 3/18 Neil Hamilton Picture Exclusive: The year is 1998. The venue is a Springbok Club meeting. The flag is a symbol for white supremacists in South Africa. And the speaker is Ukip’s deputy chairman, Neil Hamilton 4/18 Kerry Smith Kerry Smith resigned as would-be MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock after it emerged he had mocked gay party members as “disgusting poofters”, joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a “peasant hunt” and referred to someone with a Chinese name as a “Chinky bird” PA 5/18 Natasha Bolter Former Ukip member Natasha Bolter was suspected of not having the teaching qualifications she professed to, only days after it was revealed that claims of her having attended Oxford University were also false PA 6/18 Ukip Calypso song Mike Reid released a single in praise of UKIP trying to control the UK's borders, only to withdraw the single after being accused of racism for singing in a Jamaican accent 7/18 Janice Atkinson Janice Atkinson, Ukip's South East chair, pictured by protesters while campaigning in Ashford, Kent with local party chair Norman Taylor Facebook/Maria Pizzey 8/18 Ukip cancels Freephone Ukip cancels Freephone number after protesters repeatedly called to push up costs Getty Images 9/18 Farage 'car-crash' interview Mr Farage appeared to be caught out on a number of issues, from Romanian neighbours to people speaking foreign languages on the train 10/18 Ukip employs illegal immigrants Ukip criticised after European election candidate found employing illegal immigrants AP 11/18 Magnus Nielsen Ukip candidate: 'Take away the right to vote to improve election turnout' Getty Images 12/18 Poster model A “British builder” portrayed in a Ukip poster accusing EU workers of taking UK jobs turns out to be an Irish actor - aka a migrant worker 13/18 'Arrest protesters' Ukip called for police to arrest protesters ‘who call us fascists’ ahead of showdown with anti-fascist groups in Brighton 14/18 London Live make-up Ukip's Nigel Farage reportedly refused to go on London Live 'without professional make up-artist' Reuters 15/18 Andre Lampitt Ukip forced to suspend the "poster boy" of its European election broadcast, after it was revealed he had posted a series of vile racist comments on Twitter 16/18 Expenses Nigel Farage says he is taking taking legal advice over “outrageous” allegations that he is responsible for more than £50,000 of “missing” EU funding that was paid directly into his personal bank account 17/18 Have I Got News For You Nigel Farage appears in Have I Got News For You, spends the entire episode being ridiculed over expenses and party 'fruitcakes' BBC 18/18 Anti-gay comments Local branch chairman for Ukip defends a party's councillor candidate Douglas Denny who called gay people “abnormal” and said he wished “they stop trying to ram it down my throat”, all while discussing whether the word “sodomite” should be used 1/18 European elections poster Party's latest EU election posters branded 'racist' and compared to BNP campaigns Rex 2/18 Farage 'car-crash' interview Ukip spin doctor forced to intervene as Farage falters in disastrous radio interview 3/18 Neil Hamilton Picture Exclusive: The year is 1998. The venue is a Springbok Club meeting. The flag is a symbol for white supremacists in South Africa. And the speaker is Ukip’s deputy chairman, Neil Hamilton 4/18 Kerry Smith Kerry Smith resigned as would-be MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock after it emerged he had mocked gay party members as “disgusting poofters”, joked about shooting people from Chigwell in a “peasant hunt” and referred to someone with a Chinese name as a “Chinky bird” PA 5/18 Natasha Bolter Former Ukip member Natasha Bolter was suspected of not having the teaching qualifications she professed to, only days after it was revealed that claims of her having attended Oxford University were also false PA 6/18 Ukip Calypso song Mike Reid released a single in praise of UKIP trying to control the UK's borders, only to withdraw the single after being accused of racism for singing in a Jamaican accent 7/18 Janice Atkinson Janice Atkinson, Ukip's South East chair, pictured by protesters while campaigning in Ashford, Kent with local party chair Norman Taylor Facebook/Maria Pizzey 8/18 Ukip cancels Freephone Ukip cancels Freephone number after protesters repeatedly called to push up costs Getty Images 9/18 Farage 'car-crash' interview Mr Farage appeared to be caught out on a number of issues, from Romanian neighbours to people speaking foreign languages on the train 10/18 Ukip employs illegal immigrants Ukip criticised after European election candidate found employing illegal immigrants AP 11/18 Magnus Nielsen Ukip candidate: 'Take away the right to vote to improve election turnout' Getty Images 12/18 Poster model A “British builder” portrayed in a Ukip poster accusing EU workers of taking UK jobs turns out to be an Irish actor - aka a migrant worker 13/18 'Arrest protesters' Ukip called for police to arrest protesters ‘who call us fascists’ ahead of showdown with anti-fascist groups in Brighton 14/18 London Live make-up Ukip's Nigel Farage reportedly refused to go on London Live 'without professional make up-artist' Reuters 15/18 Andre Lampitt Ukip forced to suspend the "poster boy" of its European election broadcast, after it was revealed he had posted a series of vile racist comments on Twitter 16/18 Expenses Nigel Farage says he is taking taking legal advice over “outrageous” allegations that he is responsible for more than £50,000 of “missing” EU funding that was paid directly into his personal bank account 17/18 Have I Got News For You Nigel Farage appears in Have I Got News For You, spends the entire episode being ridiculed over expenses and party 'fruitcakes' BBC 18/18 Anti-gay comments Local branch chairman for Ukip defends a party's councillor candidate Douglas Denny who called gay people “abnormal” and said he wished “they stop trying to ram it down my throat”, all while discussing whether the word “sodomite” should be used

Mr Miliband, Mr Lammy’s party leader, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that what Mr Farage had said on Friday was a “slur” and “completely out of order”, but stopped short of describing his Ukip counterpart as “a racist”.

He said: “I think our politics is disagreeable enough without political leaders saying about other political leaders ‘they are a racist’.”

When asked if Mr Miliband was “brave enough” in his description, Mr Lammy said: “It’s not helpful to get into a pedantic discussion about the difference between a racist slur and racism.

“It’s deeply, deeply nasty,” Mr Lammy said. “It’s the sort of thing we’ve seen before in Europe, in times of recession and depression, and we must take that kind of slur extremely seriously.”

Yesterday Mr Farage told BBC News he had been “tired” when he made the comments live on radio.

He has since taken out a full-page advert in the Daily Telegraph in which he described Ukip as “not a racist party”, before going on to quote a series of police figures linking Romanians with ATM crime and organised gangs.