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Brexit has a new and bizarre battleground – Leicester’s Walkers crisps factory.

UKIP leader Gerard Batten has called on Leave supporters to boycott the company's crisps because he is unhappy with Gary Lineker.

The former Leicester City and England striker, who has been the face of Walkers crisps for years in the firm’s high profile television adverts, has become a vocal critic of Brexit and says he supports a People’s Vote – a second referendum on the terms of the UK exiting the EU.

Lineker's stance have been lauded by Remainers but has infuriated Brexiteers including London MEP Mr Batten, who has devised a strategy to get the Match of the Day presenter sacked from his lucrative Walkers job.

Mr Batten tweeted: “Can I suggest that leavers boycott buying Walkers Crisps?

(Image: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

“If they see a dip in sales they’ll get the message and sack him.”

It is unclear how serious Mr Batten was when he tweeted to his 29,400 followers but it has triggered a response from East Midlands Labour MEP Rory Palmer who was formerly deputy mayor of Leicester.

'This is daft'

Mr Palmer said the calls for a boycott were daft.

He told Leicestershire Live: “Not content with the economic consequences of a hard Brexit, it now seems UKIP want people to stop buying crisps made in Britain.”





“More than 800 people work at the Walkers Crisps factory in Leicester. British farmers grow the potatoes that Walkers use, so calling for people to stop buying their crisps is far from protecting British jobs and business, in fact it’s exactly the opposite.



“Thankfully UKIP aren’t ever likely to determine the country’s economic policy and I very much doubt anyone’s crisp buying habits will be influenced in any way at all by this daft policy. Unlike UKIP’s prospects, Walkers’ sales will probably increase.”

Labour Leicester South MP Jon Ashworth backed Mr Palmer.

He said: “We’ll always stand up for Leicester jobs unlike those UKIP clowns who want to not only damage our Leicester economy but one of Britain’s best loved brands.”

LeicestershireLive contacted Walkers Crisps. The firm said it was aware of Mr Batten’s call for a boycott but would not be commenting.