AN MP has become embroiled in a spat with Nigel Farage after being branded 'hopelessly out of touch with the country' on the subject of immigration by the former Brexit Party leader.

Tim Farron responded by saying it was 'our moral duty to help' refugees and that Mr Farage would know this if he had himself seen the desperation of people in refugee camps.

The war of words began when Mr Farron used a tweet by Mr Farage as an occasion to call for Home Secretary Priti Patel to 'do the right - British - thing' when it came to dealing with people crossing the English Channel.

Mr Farage had described the situation as 'out of control' and accused the home secretary of being 'Priti useless'.

In response to Mr Farage's comments, Mr Farron wrote in a tweet directed at Ms Patel: "You see, each time you do or say something indescribably awful regarding refugees, these guys will still call you a liberal wimp… So stop chasing after their approval and do the right - British - thing instead."

Mr Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, has since accused the home secretary of using refugees to 'score political points'.

“It is vital that we have safer routes to prevent people from making dangerous crossings," he said.

"But unless the Government allow people to apply for asylum from outside the United Kingdom, then the United Kingdom will be complicit in and responsible for people making dangerous crossings.

“When you are a real patriot, you are embarrassed when your government actively seeks to pollute Britain’s reputation as a civilised place of safety.”

He referred to the announcement of harsher sentences for Channel-crossing migrants earlier this month as among problematic moves made by the home secretary.

Mr Farage referred to people arriving on these shores illegally as 'economic migrants' and said they were 'not genuine refugees'.

He described the situation as 'an insult to all of those who come to our great country legally'.

Mr Farron responded by saying he had visited refugee camps and seen that refugees were 'desperate people who are fleeing war-torn countries'.

He said: “The question we need to be asking ourselves is: If Britain was like Eritrea, and Eritrea was like Britain, how would we want Eritrea to treat us?

"And there you have your answer. It is our moral duty to help these people.”

The Home Office did not provide an answer by deadline when contacted for comment from Ms Patel.