Sir Vince Cable has been accused of indulging in “Project Fear with tassels” by Eurosceptic MPs after the Liberal Democrat leader warned that Brexit could ruin Strictly Come Dancing.

Post-Brexit immigration rules could rob the show of many of its foreign professional dancers, Sir Vince, an accomplished ballroom dancer who competed in the 2010 Strictly Christmas special, told the Telegraph in Brussels on Thursday.

Afterwards at a meeting at the European Commission, he urged Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator, to make emergency plans to give Britain time to hold a second referendum before the Brexit deadline of March 29 2019.

“As British society falls apart it could pose a risk to Strictly,” he said, “If we have a cack handed immigration policy like what we have for non-EU citizens all kinds of perverse decisions could be made.”

There are 18 professional dancers coaching celebrity partners in each series of Strictly. Of the current crop of gyrating hunks and long-legged beauties, five are British, four are EU citizens and nine come from outside the EU.

“We may have to ringfence the citizenship arrangements to protect them,” Sir Vince said.

Sir Vince, who recently reached the final of the over-65’s British ballroom competition, said he spent five years in government fighting Theresa May over immigration rules for overseas students.