A British MEP has defended holding a sign in the European Parliament mocking Nigel Farage.

UK Labour MEP for London Seb Dance held up the sign, which read “He’s lying to you”, with an arrow pointing to the UKIP member as he spoke.

 Mr Farage was defending the immigration policy of Donald Trump at the time.

Speaking after the incident, Mr Dance said: "Mainstream politics must be more willing to challenge the nationalists and the populists.

“They pretend to stand up for people who are suffering but their diet of hate, division and suspicion create only misery and poverty. It’s time to stop the nuanced language: They’re liars.

"Nigel Farage is regularly treated to free coverage by virtue of being leader of the EFDD [UKIP's European Parliamentary group] and UKIP often use these clips in isolation on social media.

“When debates are time-limited it is impossible to challenge what he’s saying, so I protested in the only way I knew how at that point, which was to grab a piece of paper, write a very simple message on it and sit behind Nigel Farage during his usual diatribe."

Image: sebdance.co.uk

Top EU figures, including foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, condemned Mr Trump's immigration ban.

But Mr Farage claimed the US leader was just trying to protect his country from Islamic terrorists.

Under the strict controls brought in last Friday, refugees and citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries are temporarily barred from entering the US for 120 and 90 days respectively.

Critics say the measure unfairly targets Muslims, a claim the White House rejects, and officials announced on Tuesday that nearly 900 refugees will be allowed in this week.

Mr Farage, who is close to Mr Trump and was the first British politician to meet him after his election victory, challenged MEPs to invite the Republican to come and address them in an "open dialogue".

If they did not, he said, they would be exposed as the "anti-democratic zealots" he had always suspected them to be.

Additional reporting: IRN