RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans has defended sharing a comment on social media that criticised young people’s attitudes towards older voters during the European Union referendum.

Following the UK’s decision to exit the EU last Thursday, Vote Leave campaigner Mr Evans shared a number of posts on Facebook expressing his thoughts on the result.

MORE TOP STORIES:

One of these was a post from the ‘EU– I Voted Leave’ group, which displayed a comment saying “Imagine having fought the Nazis, contributed to British society, and then having some 17-year-old saying you’re too old to vote”.

Mr Evans said that he stands by sharing the comment and said that younger people should not be telling the older generation that their vote doesn’t matter.

He said: “We have had a huge number of young people campaigning for Leave and I am not slating their opinions, but there are some young people who feel that older people have gone and ruined their future for them.

“Some young people are suggesting that somehow older people do not matter because they may not be here in 10 years time, but I think that is a disgrace.

“What is obvious from statistics is that not enough young people actually voted, it was older people who actually bothered to turn out.

“No accusations should be being made towards older people.”

The Conservative MP also shared a post from far-right group Our Britain on Monday, but said he doesn’t have any loyalty to the group.

He said: “I am going to take this post down as I do not want to be associated with this group or their ideals.

“I shared this post purely for the picture it displayed and not who it came from.”

Mr Evans has also said that there had been “some misunderstanding” over the Leave campaign’s position on reducing immigration.

He said: “The Leave campaign only ever promised to control immigration. While we are in the EU, we have no control over who comes in and in what numbers.

“There have been no promises made to reduce immigration, just controlling it.”

Since Brexit’s victory, the Labour Party has seen a multitude of resignations from high-profile figures.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn yesterday overwhelmingly lost a vote of no confidence, with 172 MPs to 40 voting against him.

Former Blackburn MP Jack Straw told Sky News that it was the worst crisis for the party since 1935 and that Mr Corbyn’s position was ‘wholly untenable’.

Burnley MP Julie Cooper earlier said that a “civil war” within the Labour party “makes no sense”.

She said: “I am aware that feelings are running high following the result but it is important we respect the decision.”

“At this uncertain time for our country it does not make sense for the opposition to engage in civil war.”