Nigel Farage: Only a fool would claim that Leave campaign has EU referendum in the bag

Ukip leader Nigel Farage has insisted that Brexit campaigners do not have the EU referendum result wrapped up, despite the fact that an opinion poll has given Leave a seven-point lead over Remain. The YouGov survey of more than 1,900 people, taken on 12 and 13 June 2016, was published nine days ahead of the 23 June ballot.

"Markets move, things change. Anyone in the Brexit camp who thinks we are there yet would be a fool," Farage told IBTimes UK during a battle bus tour stop in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, on 14 June.

The Eurosceptic firebrand also claimed to journalists that the momentum began to shift behind Leave when the official Brexit campaign, Vote Leave, announced its support for an Australian-style immigration points system.

"I've been ploughing that furrow since 2004 and it's been a very lonely place," Farage said. "I've taken a huge amount of stick and abuse for daring to say it, but it really helped to turn Ukip into a big party.

"Suddenly we now hear Conservative and Labour voices saying the same thing and addressing what is a primary concern of people in this country and offering long-term a solution to it. That was the turning point."

The issue has certainly proved difficult for the pro-EU Prime Minister David Cameron, who has repeatedly promised to cut immigration down to "tens of thousands". The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed net migration to the UK had climbed to 333,000 in 2015.

The latest Ipsos MORI issues index for The Economist, of more than 900 people between 6 and 15 May 2016, put the topic as top concern (38%) for British voters, above the NHS/healthcare (33%) and the EU (28%).

But the issue of immigration and defence landed a Farage backed Brexit group in trouble recently. Leave.EU, which is co-founded by Ukip donor Arron Banks, shared a poster referencing the Orlando shooting massacre on its Twitter account.

"Islamist extremism is a real threat to our way of life. Act now before we see an Orlando-style atrocity here before too long," the poster said. It was later deleted, but Labour's shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn, among other politicians, condemned the publication as "shameful".

"I understand it was a junior staffer who put it online," Farage said, after he was challenged by a reporter. "Listen, after any horrible tragedy like that the best thing is a period of silence from everybody."

The comments came as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn made another intervention in the referendum campaign. The left-winger is urging his supporters and the wider Labour movement to get behind the Remain campaign amid fears that Labour voters could back a Brexit at the historic ballot.

"Today sees my shadow cabinet and the trade union movement join together, in the interests of the people of this country, to make Labour's case to remain in the EU and bring reform to strengthen workers' rights," Corbyn said, speaking outside the Trades Union Congress house in central London.

"That's why today I am issuing a call to the whole Labour movement, to persuade people to back Remain to protect jobs and rights at work. We have just nine days to go to convince Labour supporters to vote Remain."