Sir David Attenborough has been criticised for suggesting British people were not wise enough to vote in the EU Referendum.
The veteran broadcaster, 90, said the decision about the future of the UK should have been left to MPs who could have voted on behalf of the electorate.
Attenborough said allowing the public to vote on the monumental decision earlier this year has created a “mess”.
In an interview with Emily Maitlis for Radio Times he said: “I mean, that’s why we’re in the mess we are with Brexit, is it not?
"Do we really want to live by this kind of referendum?
“What we mean by parliamentary democracy is surely that we find someone we respect who we think is probably wiser than we are, who is prepared to take the responsibility of pondering difficult things and then trust him – or her – to vote on our behalf."
Attenborough – who was promoting his new BBC show Planet Earth 2 – left himself open to accusations of elitism while some branded him an “idiot”.
One Twitter user called him an “Arrogant Lefty T***”, another said he is a “silly old fool” while a third told him to “stick to the animals mate”.
Attenborough also referred to Brexiteer Michael Gove who claimed “people in this country have had enough of experts”.
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Speaking about the remark he said: “That’s why politicians getting up and saying, ‘We’ve had enough of experts’ is so catastrophic.
“I can see the arguments [for and against Brexit].
“I mean, I’ve said for years that I don’t think any human society is prepared to make decisions which they may not like if they’re made by people who don’t speak the same language.”
Downing Street admitted it hadn’t seen Attenborough’s remarks and said in a statement to Huffington Post: “The Prime Minister has been clear on the importance of British people being able to make this decision. They have made it and we are getting on with it.”
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