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The Shadow Health Secretary slammed the 17 million people who voted Leave in an attempt to secure the country’s borders and increase its economic reach as racist at the Labour Party conference. Jeremy Corbyn’s close ally was blasted by Westminster colleagues and accused of “sneering” at the country’s voters - who secured a decisive 52 to 48 per cent referendum victory this June. She said: “The people that complain about the freedom of movement will not be satisfied because what they really want is to see less foreign-looking people on their streets.”

WENN Diane Abbott has come under fire for claiming Leave voters were racist

The thinly-veiled accusation of widespread racism left a sour taste in the mouth of many MPs, who said she was willingly missing the point. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: “What Diane Abbott and the Labour Party need to appreciate is that those most vulnerable to the next wave of uncontrolled migration competing for the same scarce resources in overcrowded inner-city areas is not me, not her and not Jeremy Corbyn.” He said Ms Abbott, who is today celebrating her 63rd birthday, had made which comments were “an insult to many former Labour voters.”

GETTY Jeremy Corbyn's closest ally said Leave voters wanted less "foreign-looking people"

Ms Abbott, as well as dismissing millions of voters as racist, was criticised for ignoring the British public’s legitimate concerns about migration both before and after this summer’s EU referendum. Jacob Rees-Mogg, a tireless Brexit campaigner and Tory MP, said: “Essentially the Labour Party does not like its own voters and sneers at their fair-minded concerns over mass migration.” One week before the referendum, an Ipsos MORI poll revealed one-in-three people identified immigration as the most important issue affecting how they would vote.

WENN Ms Abbott's comments were slammed as an "insult" to voters

However, despite this and other polls revealing very real fears among millions of people, Ms Abbott, the Labour Party and the EU continue to ignore the legitimacy of such concerns. Even in the immediate aftermath of the result, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker claimed immigration hadn’t played a role in the historic vote. He said: “Cameron was making the point that the referendum was mainly about migration and immigration. “I don’t believe this is the case because this problem is a problem which concerns all of us.”

Jeremy Corbyn wins Labour leadership election Sat, September 24, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn has won the Labour leadership race against rival Owen Smith in the election contest that lasted three months. Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 12 Jeremy Corbyn MP (R) hugs Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell after being announced as the leader of the Labour Party on the eve of the party's annual conference at the ACC on September 24, 2016

Ms Abbott has since denied she was calling all Brexit voters racist. She said: "I know many people I like and respect who voted for Brexit for reasons to do with sovereignty. What I mean is… is that ever since the Brexit vote we have seen a rise in racist attacks. Some very horrible attacks and not just on Eastern Europeans but on anybody who is black or brown. "And this has given rise to fear and concern and we have to be aware of this and we have to say Brexit means a lot of things, but it doesn't mean giving permission to racially abuse other people."

Ms Abbott also insisted she did not want to see the Brexit vote reversed. She added: "I feel strongly that we shouldn't be talking about reversing the Brexit vote that would be profoundly undemocratic. "The point I'm making as shadow secretary of state for health, is that we have to be mindful in the negotiations that we shouldn't throw away access to the single market in return for an end to freedom of movement because actually [ending] freedom of movement would be very bad for health and social care."

GETTY Ms Abbott said the 17 million people who voted Leave were racially motiviated