British politicians have “lost touch” with voters and elitist bids to suppress the EU debate made the referendum on membership that led to the Brexit vote “inevitable”, Mervyn King has said.

The former governor of the Bank of England said he “resent[ed]” suggestions by friends and acquaintances that Britons who “even contemplated” voting for Brexit were “ignorant” or “racist”.

He said voters were treated like "the British equivalent of the deplorables” – the term used by US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to describe half of Donald Trump’s supporters.

Lord King said the “striking” difference between voting patterns in London, Scotland and Northern Ireland compared with the rest of the UK in the June vote highlighted a stark divide between the capital and the majority of English regions in the debate.