A CANDIDATE for Change UK has resigned over offensive comments he made about Romanians just hours after he was officially selected to run in the upcoming EU elections.

Ali Sadjady, a former Tory, has been accused of contributing to “hate speech” against EU citizens.

Shortly after his unveiling as a Change UK candidate for London earlier today, The Independent uncovered tweets in which Sadjady said he would back Brexit if it prevented “Romanian pickpockets” from coming to the UK and several others that were derogatory towards women.

“When I hear that 70% of pickpockets caught on the London Underground are Romanian it kind makes me want Brexit,” he tweeted towards the end of 2017.

On another occasion, he wrote: “Brexit is like dumping your girlfriend because she's expensive and high maintenance and then realising she's pretty hot.”

And on another occasion still he turned his attention to those who favour a second EU referendum, branding them undemocratic.

"Democracy was served – I voted Remain but stand by the vote cast because I believe in democracy," he said in October 2018.

On an earlier occasion he said: "To those petitioning for a second EU referendum, don't you believe in democracy or does it not apply when things don't go your way?"

Today was the second major launch by The Independent Group since it formed in February.

READ MORE: New Labour splitter party accused of racism within three hours of launching

On the morning the group officially launched, one of its members, Angela Smith, was forced to apologise hours later after she took to live television to discuss racism in the Labour Party – who she had just defected from – and appeared to call some of those from the BAME community “funny tinged”.

"The recent history of the party I've just left suggested it's not just about being black or a funny tin... you know, a different... from the BAME community," she said on the BBC’s Politics Live at the time.

A spokesperson for Change UK told The Independent: "Following discussions, Ali Sadjady has reflected on his inappropriate tweet from 2017 and agreed to stand down from the list of potential candidates."

Molly Scott Catto, a Green MEP said: “I'm shocked to read this negative stereotyping of EU citizens. It's the job of Remain politicians to defend them against the hate speech and acts that have made been on the rise since the EU referendum – not to join in.”