Shadow Europe minister apologises to whole VILLAGE after branding a voter 'racist' and saying she would never come back 'to wherever this is'

Labour's Europe spokeswoman has made a grovelling apology after branding a voter a 'horrible racist' on the referendum campaign trail.

Pat Glass was visiting Sawley in Derbyshire when she delivered the jibe after having a conversation with the local man.

According to the report on BBC Radio Derby, the MP said: 'The very first person I come to is a horrible racist.

'I'm never coming back to wherever this is.'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with shadow Europe minister Pat Glass. She has apologised after branding a voter 'racist'

In a statement released later she apologised to the individual - who denied being racist - and admitted concerns about immigration were 'entirely valid'.

'The comments I made were inappropriate and I regret them,' Ms Glass said.

'Concerns about immigration are entirely valid and it's important that politicians engage with them.

'I apologise to the people living in Sawley for any offence I have caused.'

Ukip leader Nigel Farage was among those condemning the remarks, saying they were 'cheap and disgraceful'.

'The Remain camp support mass migration, support EU open borders and are badly out of touch,' he added. 

The episode has echoes of Gordon Brown's humiliation during the 2010 general election campaign, when he was recorded by a stray microphone describing Gilliam Duffy as a 'bigoted woman'.

The 65-year-old had challenged the then-Prime Minister on issues including immigration as he visited Rochdale.

But having seemingly finished the conversation on good terms and got into his official car, Mr Brown was heard to dismiss Ms Duffy as a 'bigoted woman'.

He later went to her house to apologise and sent an e-mail to Labour activists saying he 'profoundly' regretted the comments.

Gordon Brown apologised after being caught by a stray microphone describing Gillian Duffy as a 'bigoted woman' during the 2010 general election

After spending more than 40 minutes talking to Mrs Duffy, Mr Brown said: 'If you like, I'm a penitent sinner. 

'Sometimes you say things you don't mean to say, sometimes you say things by mistake and sometimes when you say things you'll want to correct them very quickly.

'I wanted to come here and say to Gillian that I was sorry, I had made a mistake, but also to say I understood the concerns she was bringing to me and I had simply misunderstood some of the words she had used.' 

NIgel Farage condemned Ms Glass's remarks

Ms Thornberry's controversial tweet during the Rochester by-election in 2014 led to her being sacked as Shadow Attorney General in Ed Miliband's frontbench team

Ms Glass, MP for North West Durham, was appointed shadow Europe minister by Jeremy Corbyn as part of his so-called 'revenge' reshuffle in January.

She replaced Pat McFadden, who was sacked for 'disloyalty' after pointedly attacking the Stop the War Coalition, which has close ties to Mr Corbyn - for claiming the Paris terror attacks showed France was 'reaping the whirlwind' for military intervention in the Middle East. 

Mr McFadden said of his removal: 'He said he felt it was an attack on him and that he had come to the conclusion because of that and one or two other things that I shouldn't continue.'

The axing of the long-serving frontbencher triggered fury among moderates, who praised him as 'serious, popular and credible'.

Another MP brought into Mr Corbyn's top team in January, shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry, was previously sacked by Ed Miliband over accusations of snobbery.

Ms Thornberry sparked a storm by tweeting a picture of a terrace home in Rochester with three England flags and a white van parked in the drive.

She commented during a parliamentary by-election campaign in the seat that she had 'never seen anything like it'.

Mr Corbyn rehabilitated her after becoming leader in September last year, appointing her as shadow employment minister and then promoting her to defence.