A father who killed his four-week-old son has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

Liam Laverick, 25, had denied the manslaughter of Tommy Lee, who died after being shaken or thrown.
Laverick, from Hull, claimed he had been carrying his son to hospital when he panicked and tripped.
But a Hull Crown Court jury found him guilty of killing Tommy Lee. Laverick was ordered to serve half his sentence before he is considered for release.
A post-mortem examination found the youngster, who died last September, suffered bleeding around his brain.
Jurors heard Laverick, of Beeford Grove, Hull, had been left in the sole care of Tommy Lee at his partner's flat.
The court heard Laverick's account of what happened to his son had never been consistent.
Mr Justice Baker said his "conduct has been discreditable".
His persistent accounts of how Tommy Lee had died meant the finger of suspicion had been pointed at the baby's mother, Kelly Whitworth, the judge added.
The jury was previously shown CCTV footage of Laverick taking Tommy Lee to a relative's house to find Ms Whitworth, before the couple ran to the nearby Hull Royal Infirmary.
The court was also told that Tommy Lee's body had only been returned to the family in the past week.
Following the verdict, Det Ch Insp Phil Gadd, from Humberside Police, said: "Tommy Lee was a defenceless baby who was less than a month old when he tragically died.
"He had his life cruelly taken away from him and justice has today been done for him.
In an interview to the BBC, Gemma Bamforth, a former girlfriend and mother of Laverick's eldest son, described him as an "evil" and abusive ex-partner.


A man from County Down has died after being knocked down by a car on the Canary Islands.

It is understood Jim Campbell was walking from Fuerteventura airport to his holiday accommodation on Wednesday night when the accident happened.
The 40-year-old from Downpatrick had landed on the island earlier in the day with friends.
The Foreign Office said it was providing support to his family.
The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, which helps bereaved families repatriating the bodies of loved ones who have died abroad, has also been supporting the Campbell family.
Colin Bell, who runs the charity, said: "Proceedings have started to bring him home as soon as possible."


Luis Suarez scored and was sent off as nine-man Barcelona held on to reach the Copa del Rey final with a thrilling aggregate victory over 10-man Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp.

Suarez tapped in on 43 minutes, before Barcelona's Sergi Roberto and Atletico's Yannick Carrasco were sent off for receiving two yellow cards.
Substitute Kevin Gameiro then missed a penalty before equalising late on.
Suarez was then shown a second yellow and will therefore miss the final.
Antoine Griezmann had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside when Atletico had a man advantage, while Lionel Messi also hit the bar with a brilliant free-kick in a frantic second half.
Holders Barcelona will now meet either Alaves or Celta Vigo in the final, with those sides playing the second leg of their semi-final tie on Wednesday.
Luis Enrique's decision to play Messi was ultimately vindicated as the talismanic striker avoided the yellow card that would have ruled him out of the final, but Suarez's suspension will come as a shock, with the Uruguay striker picking up two yellow cards in the final three minutes.
The first was a clear foul but Suarez was perhaps right to feel aggrieved at the second, with Koke making the most of their aerial collision as referee Jesus Gil Manzano produced his third red card of the evening.
The other two dismissals were less controversial, Roberto committing a daft foul when already on a caution, just as Aleix Vidal was being readied to replace the right-back on 57 minutes.
Carrasco's second clumsy foul 12 minutes later was similarly ill-advised, opening up the game and leaving Atletico vulnerable to a Barcelona side previously in retreat.
Yet even with Carrasco's dismissal, the visitors will feel they squandered plenty of clear opportunities to take Barcelona to extra time or even completely overturn the 2-1 first-leg deficit.
They dominated the early stages, playing with an intensity that rattled the hosts, and Carrasco and Savic both missed decent chances before keeper Miguel Angel Moya parried Messi's effort straight into Suarez's path for the opener.
Barcelona were then able to slow the pace of the game to suit their style, with Atletico unable to trouble them for long periods before a remarkable final half-hour.
Gameiro struck a poor penalty attempt against the bar, before tapping in Griezmann's squared pass for the equaliser minutes later.
And although Atletico will point to the incorrect decision to rule out Griezmann's fine finish, Barcelona ultimately showed enough resolve to progress as they attempt to win a third straight Copa del Rey.


The smallest and rarest marine dolphin in the world could be extinct within 15 years if protection is not stepped up, new research suggests.

Conservationists say the remaining population of Maui's dolphins has dropped below 50.
The critically endangered species is found only in waters off New Zealand.
Measures to prevent dolphins dying in fishing nets must be extended, according to the German conservation organisation Nabu.
Fishing should be banned across the dolphin's entire habitat rather than only limited areas, they say.
According to new estimates just 43-47 individuals, including about 10 mature females, are left.
The study is being presented at a meeting of the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in San Diego, US.
More than 200 experts are attending the annual event.
"These new figures are a loud wakeup call: New Zealand has to abandons its current stance, which places the interests of the fishing industry above biodiversity conservation, and finally protect the dolphins' habitat from harmful fishing nets, seismic airgun blasts and oil and gas extraction," said Dr Barbara Maas, Nabu's head of endangered species conservation.
Unless this happened, Dr Maas said the dolphin's extinction was ''a matter of when, not if".
A spokesperson for the New Zealand minister for conservation said no comment would be made until after the scientific committee reported its findings and recommendations in June.
The Maui's dolphin is a subspecies of Hector's dolphin that only lives in shallow coastal waters off New Zealand's North Island; the other subspecies of Hector's dolphin is found around the South Island and is more abundant.
Numbers of dolphins have declined since the 1970s. Scientists say the main threat is fishing using gillnets or trawling, which they estimate kill five Maui's dolphins each year.
In 2010/2011 an estimated 59 individuals remained, which fell to 43-47 in 2014/2015.
The New Zealand government extended its restrictions on the use of set gillnets in 2012 and again in 2013, but campaigners said these measures did not go far enough.
The scientific committee of the IWC called last year for full protection for the dolphin across its range.


A collection of more than 80 historic maps of Cornwall and the Scilly Isles has been sold at Bonhams for £46,000.

Among the highlights was the first printed map of Cornwall from the first county atlas of England and Wales, produced in 1576 during the reign of Elizabeth I.
The detailed map was sold for £10,000 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000.
Bonhams senior book valuer John Walwyn-Jones said he was "not surprised they attracted so much interest".
The maps had been collected over a period of 40 years by Peter Dewhurst who was brought up in Bodmin.
He emigrated to Southern California in the 1960s where he has lived ever since.
Mr Dewhurst, now in his 70s, said: "I am happy to know that the maps and charts which have given me so much pleasure over the years will be enjoyed and studied by new owners in new places."
Mr Walwyn-Jones said: "This was an outstanding collection of maps which had been put together with great care and discrimination."


A land search is under way to try to find a helicopter carrying five people which went missing over north Wales.

North Wales Police is coordinating the search in Snowdonia with the Coastguard and other agencies.
UK Coastguard duty commander Mark Rodaway said seven mountain rescue teams and a dog unit were involved in the search with visibility "improving".
The privately-owned helicopter vanished while over Caernarfon Bay en route to Dublin from Luton.
Radar contact with the red Twin Squirrel helicopter was lost on Wednesday afternoon and initial searches followed the intended flight plan of the aircraft over the Irish Sea.
Supt Gareth Evans of North Wales Police said "All available police, mountain rescue and other civilian resources are currently being utilised and we are grateful for the assistance and cooperation of the public as well as our MRT volunteers who are searching very difficult and challenging terrain."
Supt Evans said family members of those on board had been contacted by police, but their names have not been released.
Mountain rescue teams and an ambulance are currently at site next to Trawsfynydd lake in Gwynedd and police have closed a road, but it has not been confirmed if this is related to the search.
Mr Rodaway said: "These aircraft normally carry beacons that we can track by satellite - they're activated by salt water - we've not seen any of that and also mobile phone data has aided our inquiries in shifting inland."
Helicopter searches between north Wales and the shore of Dublin on Wednesday were scuppered by low lying cloud, which reduced visibility.
However, Mr Rodaway told the Jason Mohammad Programme at 10:50 BST "things have improved", after visibility had been as low as just 10ft (3m) in places.
"We are now able to commit more aircraft into this live search operation," he added.
A Mayday broadcast has been issued to all vessels passing through the Irish Sea to contact the Coastguard if they see anything.
The Eurocopter AS55 Ecureuil 2 (Twin Squirrel), made by Airbus, has a cruising speed of 140mph (225km/h) and a range of nearly 440 miles (700km).
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning


A new £78 million theatre and arts venue is to be built on the former site of Granada's TV studios in Manchester, Chancellor George Osborne has promised.

The venue is to be called The Factory, in homage to the city's legendary Factory Records label.
It will hold up to 5,000 people and provide a permanent home for the Manchester International Festival.
The plans were announced by Mr Osborne in his Autumn Statement on Wednesday. The venue is due to open by 2019.
Manchester City Council said the government had pledged £78m, which would cover "a large proportion of the anticipated overall project costs".
A council statement predicted that the building would "play an integral part in helping Manchester and the north of England provide a genuine cultural counterbalance to London".
The council said it would be a "large scale, ultra-flexible arts space" that would hold 2,200 people when seated, or 5,000 standing.
It has risen out of the success of the biennial Manchester International Festival, which has to date staged major shows and innovative cultural events in existing venues or empty buildings.
MIF chairman Tom Bloxham said The Factory would be "a new kind of large-scale venue comparable in scale to London's Coliseum connected to one side of a Tate Modern Turbine Hall-type structure".
He continued: "As well as providing a new home base for MIF, it will commission and welcome innovative works from companies and artists around the world.
"Like MIF, it will attract groundbreaking and pioneering works which might not otherwise come to the north of England, or even the UK, and the concept is in many ways born from MIF."
The news about The Factory comes as another major arts centre prepares to open less than a mile away. Home, which will include theatres, art galleries and cinema screens, will open next May at a cost of £25 million.
Mr Osborne also promised to fund a "Great Exhibition" to celebrate the art, culture and design of the north of England, and to provide £3 million for arts projects to commemorate the World War One centenary in cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.
Meanwhile, he proposed to extend the tax breaks currently offered to TV drama and animation to cover other children's television programmes.
And the government will examine whether to extend the TV drama tax breaks to cover more programmes and widen the existing tax breaks for theatres to include orchestras.


The chancellor has given a major hint that he is no fan of the 2015 Tory manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.

After the embarrassing U-turn on the attempt to raise taxes for the self-employed, Philip Hammond told me the government needed "flexibility" on taxes.
The manifesto is not yet final, so no irreversible decisions have been taken.
The chancellor said he didn't come into politics to "increase taxes".
But it is the clearest hint yet that Mr Hammond would like to see the 2015 manifesto promise on taxes significantly amended if not abandoned all together.
"We do need flexibility to manage the system and we do need to make sure that Theresa May and her government have a clear mandate to execute our plan," he told me.
"All chancellors would prefer to have more flexibility in how they manage the economy and how they manage the overall tax burden down [rather] than having to have their hands constrained.
"But what we put in the manifesto will be decided in the next few days and we will publish that."


An alleged serial killer, who is accused of raping and murdering 11 female victims in northern China over more than a decade, has been captured by police, say local reports.

Gao Chengyong, called China's "Jack the Ripper", was detained at a grocery store he runs with his wife.
He admitted to the killings, which took place between 1988 and 2002, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
The 52-year-old is a married father of two.
Police say Mr Gao targeted young women dressed in red and followed them home, where he would rape and kill them, often cutting their throat and mutilating their bodies.
His youngest alleged victim was eight years old.
In 2004, police had said the suspect they were looking for "has a sexual perversion and hates women".
"He's reclusive and unsociable, but patient."
Police had then posted a reward of £22,900 ($30,000) for information leading to an arrest. It was the first time all the crimes had been linked.
However, no leads were found until China's Criminal Investigation Bureau earlier this year re-launched an investigation into the case, using new technology to re-examine DNA.
Mr Gao was tracked down after his uncle was arrested for a minor crime, according to news outlet China Daily. He gave a DNA sample which police then linked to the crimes, determining they must have been committed by a relative.
Mr Gao's first alleged killing took place in May 1988, the year his son was born.
The 23-year-old woman was found in the city of Baiyin with 26 stab wounds to her body.
Subsequent murders followed a similar pattern, with the killer often targeting young women who lived alone.
Mr Gao also cut off parts of his victim's reproductive organs, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.
Women in Baiyin would not walk alone in the streets without being accompanied by male relatives or friends after the spate of attacks.
Mr Gao went on to work at a vocational school in Baiyin, and had two sons, both of whom attended university and found jobs.
There were no immediate explanations as to why the killings stopped in 2002.


Lithuania has announced plans to build a fence to boost security on its border with Russia's Kaliningrad enclave.

The move comes amid heightened tensions in the Baltic region, where Nato is deploying extra troops and Russia has installed nuclear-capable missiles.
The fence will cover 130km (81 miles) of border, from Vistytis to the Neman River, which runs to the Baltic Sea. No barrier exists there currently.
Lithuania says it aims to prevent any Russian "provocations" and smuggling.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Eimutis Misiunas said one such provocation was the incident on Estonia's border in 2014, when an Estonian security official was detained by Russia. In August 2015 Russia jailed Eston Kohver on spying charges. But he was freed the following month in a "spy swap" with Russia.
Lithuania aims to complete the 2m-high (6.5ft) fence by the end of this year. Later, border guards will get new surveillance systems, including drones, the country's interior ministry told the BBC.
Like its Baltic neighbours, Lithuania was alarmed by Russia's March 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.
Russian help for pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine further fuelled their concern about "hybrid" warfare - that is, acts of aggression like infiltration of special forces and cyber attacks on critical infrastructure.
Soldiers in unmarked uniforms took over Crimea and were nicknamed "little green men". Only a year later did Russian President Vladimir Putin admit that Russian forces had been involved.
Nato has begun deploying a US-led army battalion to Poland and three more will go to the three Baltic states, reaching a total of about 4,000 troops. Russia has condemned the move.
Mr Misiunas told the AFP news agency that the fence would cost about €30m (£26m; $32m), with most funding coming from Lithuania's EU partners. Lithuania has allocated €3.6m to it from the state budget.
The EU is also spending €25m this year on modernising border surveillance in Belarus, a major source of cigarette-smuggling into the EU.
The town whose cigarettes are smuggled to UK
Kaliningrad's acting governor, Anton Alikhanov, said Russia approved of anti-smuggling measures, but he played down the significance of the fence. Quoted by Russian Lenta.ru news, he joked that Kaliningrad could send some bricks to help Lithuania.
Lithuanian politician Rasa Jukneviciene said "this fence will not stop tanks or other military equipment" but it would help to "reduce the potential threat posed by Russia".
Latvia and Estonia - Nato members like Lithuania - also plan to erect fences along their borders with Russia.
In 2015 Poland announced that it would build watch towers along its border with Kaliningrad.
Linas Kojala, director of the Eastern Europe Studies Centre in Lithuania, said smuggling of cigarettes and alcohol into the EU from Kaliningrad was a problem.
But the main motivation for the fence is fear of "little green men" infiltrating, he told the BBC. Russians can cross Lithuania's border easily at the moment, though it is illegal to enter without a visa, he said.
"There is a lot of talk in Lithuania now about hybrid scenarios, like what happened in Ukraine," he said.
In 2015 Lithuania reinstated conscription, which provides about 3,000 extra personnel for the armed forces annually, he said. The total number of service personnel is about 20,000.
The Lithuanian interior ministry told the BBC that by 2020 "the goal is to have fully controlled and monitored borders with Russia and Belarus, at a cost of around €140m".


Danske Bank has revised its 2016 economic growth forecast for Northern Ireland down to 1.6% from 1.8%.

Angela McGowan, the bank's chief economist, said the uncertainty over the EU referendum had "dampened" private sector investment.
She said there could be a "bounce-back" after the vote.
But she added that other factors such as public sector austerity and weaker global conditions would weigh on growth.
Some sectors such as IT and tourism are forecast to grow more strongly, at over 3%.
Manufacturing, construction and agriculture are all forecast to grow more slowly than average.
"The message remains that Northern Ireland's economy continues to expand, but the pace of growth is slowing," Ms McGowan said.
"While the continued reduction in the public sector jobs will weigh down overall growth in the short to medium term, by far the biggest risk to growth this year is Brexit which has lowered investment and growth in the first half of this year."
Other economic forecasts, such as one from PwC, also predict that economic growth in Northern Ireland will only be around 1.5% in 2016.
In February, Cambridge academic Dr Graham Gudgin said that a UK exit from the European Union would not have "much effect" on the Northern Ireland economy.
He told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster that studies suggested the impacts on the UK economy would be in the range of plus or minus 2% of GDP.


Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza saw off Varvara Lepchenko 6-0 6-3 to reach the second round of the US Open.

The Spaniard, 23, raced through the first set in 21 minutes as she dominated the American in the Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows.
Muguruza, who dropped just 10 points on serve, will face either Duan Yingying or qualifier Claire Liu in round two.
Petra Kvitova beat 2008 finalist Jelena Jankovic 7-5 7-5 to set up a second-round meeting with Alize Cornet.
The Frenchwoman beat Britain's Heather Watson 6-4 6-4.


A passenger plane has landed under military escort at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire after it lost contact with air traffic control.

The Royal Air Force said Typhoon jets were scrambled from RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth to identify an unresponsive civilian aircraft.
Once communication was re-established, the plane was escorted to Prestwick.
The plane, an Airbus A320 operated by Volaris, had seven crew members on board but no passengers.
Sonic booms were reported to have been heard across northern Scotland as the fighter jets went at supersonic speed.
The RAF confirmed that the Typhoons were cleared to operate at supersonic speed.
The passenger plane was travelling from Toulouse in France to Iceland when it was intercepted.
Police said the plane was diverted at 14:40 and landed safely at the airport at 15:57.
Volaris is a Mexican operator. It is believed the plane was a new aircraft on its way from the French manufacturing base to its new owner.
Roads around the airport closed shortly after 15:00 but have now reopened.
Flights from Glasgow Airport were delayed during the incident.
A spokeswoman for Glasgow Prestwick Airport said: "We can confirm that an aircraft has been diverted to Glasgow Prestwick Airport following a temporary loss of communications.
"Some roads surrounding the airport have been closed as a precautionary measure. This is an ongoing Police Scotland incident."
An RAF spokesman said: "Quick reaction alert Typhoon aircraft were launched today from RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth to identify an unresponsive civilian aircraft.
"The Typhoon aircraft were authorised to transit at supersonic speed for operational reasons; any inconvenience caused to local residents is regretted.
"Communications were re-established and the aircraft has been safely escorted by the Lossiemouth aircraft to Prestwick airport."


German consumer goods giant Henkel is to buy Colgate-Palmolive's laundry brands in Australia and New Zealand for €220m ($245m; £157m).

Henkel will take over the firm's range of laundry detergents and pre-wash brands to become one of the biggest players in the Australian market.
The brands had sales of about €110m in the 2014 fiscal year, according to the firm.
Henkel already has a presence in Australia with beauty products.
It is the maker of recognisable products such as Schwarzkopf shampoo, while Colgate-Palmolive makes the likes of Cold Power, Dynamo and Fab detergents in the two countries.
The acquisition will also allow Henkel to introduce its laundry and home care products in the two countries, said Bruno Piacenza, Henkel's executive vice president of laundry and home care.
"This agreement is another step in the execution of our global strategy to selectively invest in attractive country category positions."
The company spent €1.8bn on acquisitions globally in 2014 to stay competitive in the consumer goods market.
It reported a 2.3% rise in net profit to €1.6bn last year, helped by growth in emerging markets.


Zhang Mengxue won China's first gold at Rio 2016 when she claimed victory in the women's 10m air pistol.

The 25-year-old, in her first Games, scored 199.4 in 20 shots to set an Olympic record in her win.
Russia's Vitalina Batsarashkina (197.1) won silver and Greece's Anna Korakaki (177.7) finished with the bronze.
Zhang, ranked five in the world, was the most consistent shooter and none of her rivals could match her, especially once she went into the lead.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.


Rory Patterson's early goal proved enough to give second-placed Derry City a home victory over Bohemians in Friday night's Premier Division clash.

The win keeps the Candystripes two points behind leaders Dundalk who won 2-0 away to Shamrock Rovers.
Former Plymouth striker Patterson scored his sixth goal of the season in the 14th minute at the Brandywell.
He shot into an empty net after the ball broke to him when keeper Dean Delany thwarted Barry McNamee.
Kurtis Byrne should have netted a speedy equaliser but the son of former Celtic player Paul Byrne completely missed his kick in front of goal.
That was the one big scare for Kenny Shiels' men on a night when both keepers had a quiet night.
Derry City have won six and drawn two in the eight games they have played since losing to Finn Harps on the first day of the season.


The actions of Guernsey's Bailiff during the Nazi occupation have been defended by his grandson.

Sir de Vic Carey says his grandfather "was not responsible" for the deportation of three Jewish women to a concentration camp during the war.
Sir Victor Gosselin Carey had overall responsibility of islanders between 1935-1945.
In 1942 three Jewish women from Guernsey were removed from the island and died in Auschwitz's gas chambers.
Since Guernsey's liberation Sir Victor Carey has received criticism for some of the decisions that had been made under his authority and his relationship with the Nazis.
Former Bailiff Sir de Vic Carey said Guernsey's Royal Court was forced to pass legislation against Jews but his grandfather was blamed.
He said: "My grandfather at that time was fairly confident there weren't any Jews in the island. He had taken great trouble to make people who were of Jewish extraction to leave the island."
"I don't think he was responsible, I think it would have happened anyway."
Of the six Jewish residents in the Bailiwick of Guernsey during the occupation three of them - Marianne Grunfeld, Auguste Spitz and Therese Steiner - were deported.
Sir de Vic Carey believed if the island's administration had all resigned over the issue it "would've meant the Germans would've taken over, the civilian administration would've stopped."
He said by the end of the war his grandfather was "pretty shattered by the whole event" and "wanted to forget about it" because of "things he didn't want to recall".
He believes his grandfather was not recognised for the difficult role he played.
"Threats were made the whole time, so they had to try and keep in post because if they went there would be no one to argue for the population.
"I don't think he had that sense of history that he had to be scoring brownie points for posterity", he said.


The global steel industry is "very vulnerable" because of a huge oversupply problem, a Tata Steel executive has told the BBC.

Last week, Tata Steel said it was in joint venture talks with Germany's Thyssenkrupp.
Koushik Chatterjee, group executive for Tata Steel in Europe, said Tata was looking at alternatives for its European operations.
In March, Tata Steel said it intended to sell all or part of its UK business.
It employs more than 4,000 workers at its plant in Port Talbot in Wales, and over 2,000 more at its speciality businesses in Hartlepool, Rotherham and Stocksbridge.
On Friday, Tata Steel said the sale of its UK business was on hold as the company considered a European tie-up.
"Today we are looking at more options," Mr Chatterjee told the BBC.
"If there are better options for the business, I think we will go for that, if there aren't we will have to review the current bids that have come in and take a final view."
He said competitiveness would determine whether plants managed to survive, and that dealing with the company's pension liabilities would be important in deciding whether the UK's operations would be part of the business in future.
He added that agreements with the UK and Welsh governments, and with employees, management and the board of Tata Steel in the UK, were key to the future of Port Talbot.
However, Mr Chatterjee warned that the current political uncertainty could be a problem.
"Political uncertainty has its impact, especially if it's regulatory change that we're looking at," he said. "I hope that the situation will lead to a stable formation of the government."


Boris Johnson's sister Rachel has joined the Liberal Democrats to fight against a "hard Brexit", according to Channel 4 News.

Ms Johnson reportedly had talks with the party about standing at the general election for them in a target seat.
But she was unable to do so because of a rule requiring candidates to have been members for at least a year.
Her brother, the foreign secretary, played a leading role in the campaign to get the UK to leave the EU.
But their father, Stanley, a former MEP, and Tory MP brother Jo all backed Remain.
Writing in her column in the Mail on Sunday last June, Ms Johnson said the EU referendum result made her daughter cry, while her son's friends were blaming Boris for "stealing our futures". Brexit "feels wrong to my stomach", she wrote.
She has previously revealed that she joined the Conservatives in 2008, inspired by a dinner party discussion with David Cameron in Notting Hill, but left in 2011 complaining she was treated "like the brainwashed member of a cult".
The Lib Dems are campaigning against a "hard Brexit" that would take the UK out of the single market and end free movement of people - and for a second referendum on the terms of any Brexit deal reached with the EU.


The remains of one of four young men who went missing last week have been found on a Pennsylvania farm.

The grim discovery was unearthed in a "grave" along with other bodies on a 90-acre tract of land in suburban Philadelphia, said officials.
The remains belong to Dean Finocchiaro, 19 who disappeared last Friday, according to investigators.
Mark Sturgis, 22, and Tom Meo, 21, also vanished on Friday. Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, went missing two days earlier.
On Wednesday this week, authorities arrested the son of the owners of the Bucks County farm, 20-year-old Cosmo DiNardo.
He is accused of trying to sell Mr Meo's 1996 Nissan Maxima for $500 (Â£390), a day after its owner was last seen.
A "life-saving" diabetic kit that Mr Meo requires was still inside the car, investigators said.
Prosecutors said homicide charges could follow for Mr DiNardo, whose bail was set at the unusually high amount of $5m in cash.
Officials described him as dangerous and said he has schizophrenia.
District Attorney Matthew Weintraub told a press conference early on Thursday morning: "There are additional human remains inside that grave.
"So this painstaking process will go on. We're not done yet.
"This is a homicide, make no mistake about it. We just don't know how many homicides, we have yet to know the answer to that question," the District Attorney said.
He added: "We had cadaver dogs, and I don't understand the science behind it, but those dogs could smell these poor boys twelve-and-a-half feet below the ground."
The relationship between the four missing men is not clear.
Mr Sturgis' father told the Associated Press he employs his son and Mr Meo, a talented wrestler, in construction, and that Mr Finocchiaro is a mutual friend of theirs.
Mr Patrick and Mr DiNardo both attended the same high school, a year apart, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A lawyer for the DiNardo family released a statement saying: "As parents, Mr and Mrs Dinardo sympathise with the parents and families of the missing young men and they are co-operating in every way possible with the investigation being conducted by law enforcement."


Johanna Konta continued her Wimbledon preparations with a routine win over her doubles partner Yanina Wickmayer at the Nottingham Open.

The British number one, 26, won 6-4 6-1 in only an hour and 14 minutes to reach the quarter-finals in her first grass-court tournament of the year.
Konta, who is ranked eighth in the world, will play 21-year-old Australian Ashleigh Barty in the last eight.
She will be the first home top-10 female player at Wimbledon since 1984.
Konta and Belgium's world number 81 Wickmayer won together in the second round of the doubles on Tuesday, before facing each other in the singles on Wednesday.
Top seed Konta raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening set, Wickmayer pulling one break of serve back before the Briton served out.
Konta also dominated the start of the second set, leading 5-0 before Wickmayer broke her serve, going on to wrap up a comfortable win.
Meanwhile, British number three Naomi Broady moved into the last eight of the Aegon Trophy on her home court in Manchester.
The 27-year-old from Stockport, who is currently ranked 115th in the world, won 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (9-7) against American Maria Sanchez.
She will play top seed Kai-Chen Chang of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals.
However, world number two Simona Halep - who lost in Saturday's French Open final to unseeded Latvian Jelena Ostapenko - has pulled out of next week's Aegon Classic in Birmingham with an ankle injury.
It means Broady and fellow Briton Heather Watson will join Konta in the Birmingham draw after being given wildcards.
World number one Angelique Kerber, 2016 French Open winner Garbine Muguruza and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova are also competing at the event which starts on Monday.


A renowned viola player is suing the Royal Opera House for ruining his hearing and his career during rehearsals of Wagner's Die Walkure.

Chris Goldscheider claims his hearing was irreversibly damaged by brass instruments put immediately behind him.
The Musicians' Union says hearing damage is a major problem for musicians playing in orchestras.
The Royal Opera House denies it is responsible, but around a quarter of its players suffer hearing illnesses.
In court documents seen by the BBC, Goldscheider claims that in 2012 his hearing was "irreversibly damaged" during rehearsals of Richard Wagner's thunderous Die Walkure "from brass instruments placed immediately behind him" in the famous "pit" at the Royal Opera House.
The sound peaked at around 137 decibels, which is roughly the sound of a jet engine.  The court documents say the noise "created an immediate and permanent traumatic threshold shift".
Goldscheider says this amounts to "acoustic shock", one effect of which is that the brain hugely amplifies ordinary sounds.
Music has been in most of Goldscheider's life: "For the last quarter of a century I've been a professional musician.  Music was my income.  It was my everything," he says.
The son of a composer, from the age of 10 he spent in excess of six hours a day practising and rehearsing.  He played the viola with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and BBC Symphony orchestras, before joining the prestigious Royal Opera House orchestra in 2002.
Career highlights have included performing live with the famous Three Tenors to 100,000 people at the Barcelona Camp Nou football stadium, and with Kylie Minogue on MTV.  He has also recorded with artists including the band 10cc.
Goldscheider says the effects of the hearing damage have been devastating.
"Ordinary sounds like banging cups and glasses together is a very painful noise," he says.
"My newborn daughter last year was crying so much I actually got noise-induced vertigo because of my injury and I ended up in bed for three weeks."
The musician says he has lost the career he loved and his mental health has deteriorated as he struggles to cope with the impact and effects of his hearing problems.
Life has changed dramatically.  To carry out ordinary every day tasks such as preparing food, Chris has to wear ear protectors.  Especially upsetting is that he had been unable to listen to his 18-year-old son Ben - one of the country's outstanding young French horn players.
"Ben is a fantastic musician.  I haven't been able to listen to him play or practice since my injury.  I've missed him playing concerts and winning competitions.  I can't even bear him practising in an upstairs room when I am downstairs in the house," he says.
At the time of his injury, Goldscheider was provided with hearing protection capable of reducing the noise by up to 28 decibels, but his lawyers claim this was insufficient.  They say he was not given enough training in how to use it and protect himself, and that the noise levels should not have been so dangerously high.
The Royal Opera House does not accept the rehearsal noise caused Goldscheider's injury, and denies that is responsible.
In a statement it told the BBC: "Mr Goldscheider's compensation claim against the Royal Opera House is a complex medico-legal issue, which has been going on for some time and is still under investigation.
"All sides are keen to reach a resolution. The matter is now the subject of legal proceedings, and in the circumstances it wouldn't be appropriate to comment any further at this stage."
And according to Goldscheider's solicitor Chris Fry, part of the Royal Opera House's defence breaks new legal ground.
"Essentially what is being said is that the beautiful artistic output justifies damaging the hearing of the musicians performing it," he says.
"That's never been tested by the courts.  We don't think the court is likely to uphold that, in particular where it's clear steps could be taken to maintain the beautiful sound and protect hearing at the same time."
Hearing damage suffered by rock musicians is well documented.  Years ago The Who's Pete Townsend went public about his hearing loss and famously said a doctor had told him: "You're not actually going deaf, but I'd advise you to learn to lip read."
Brian Johnson of AC/DC and Ozzy Osborne have also been affected.  But what is far less well known is that it is a significant problem in the more sedate and sophisticated world of classical music.
There are around 100 players in the orchestra at the Royal Opera House. The BBC has learnt more than a quarter report occasional or mild hearing illness, and that in the 2013/14 season, there were seven cases of sickness absence related to noise problems and a total of 117 weeks of sick leave taken.  That's not music to anyone's ears.
Morris Stemp of the Musicians Union says there are many reasons for the hearing damage suffered by classical musicians.
"Conductors are allowed to ride roughshod over health and safety considerations," he says. "They put players on the stage where they will be in harm's way. And instruments are now louder than they ever were before because of the materials they are now made from."
Add to that the increased number of live concerts prompted in part by the drop in income from CD sales, and there is a mix of elements that can put the hearing of orchestra players at serious risk.
Chris Goldscheider's case casts light on a little known or discussed problem, and will be watched closely by all those in the classical music world.


Numbers have always been a tricky issue in Bangladesh, so much so that there is disagreement over even the total population of the country.

There is always someone ready to raise questions about any "official figure" , whether it is the voter list or death figures from a road accident.
Not surprisingly then, when the eight-storey Rana Plaza collapsed on 24 April with thousands of people working in five garment factories, numbers became a hotly contested issue.
Two sets of figures are now accepted as accurate. Firstly, the number of people rescued alive, which stands at 2,438 and secondly, the number of bodies recovered from the rubble, which stands at more than 1,000 and keeps rising every day.
But there is disagreement over how many are still missing - and hence, the total number likely to have died.
More than two weeks after collapse, there is still no agreement on exactly how many workers and staff were present in the building. This has left officials calculating in darkness.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), initially said that 3,200 people  may have been employed by the five factories located on the upper floors of the building.
But that figure now looks unrealistic. Nearly 3,500 people have already been accounted for, with unknown numbers still buried under the rubble.
Five days after the collapse a woman named Shahina was found alive.
But Shahina could not be rescued, as a fire sparked by metal cutting machines killed her on 28 April. One of the rescuers later died in hospital from burns sustained during the abortive rescue.
It was not expected that more survivors would be found, and rescuers switched their focus to recovering bodies.
Then another round of distrust about numbers was kicked off by none other than Maj Gen Hasan Suhrawardy, the man in charge of the recovery operation at the site.
On 1 May, he told journalists that only 149 people were missing, raising heckles across the social landscape. Even senior government officials expressed doubts about the figure.
Workers rescued from the site said many people had tried to escape down a stairway at the back of the building. They insisted that many bodies lay in that part of the building.
It appeared the general had used a list which local administration officials had stopped using. The police had their own, much larger list, based on people registering names of their missing relatives.
Officials worried that many names were appearing several times in different lists. They also worried that fraudsters might be at work, registering fake names to get compensation.
As a result of the confusion, all lists were taken down and officials stopped talking about the number missing.
But more fuel was added to the fire by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, leader of the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Addressing a big rally in Dhaka on 4 May, Mrs Zia accused the government of ''disappearing'' 900 bodies.
The opposition leader did not quote any source, but it reflected a sense of frustration and distrust among relatives of those missing.
Hundreds of relatives of the missing waited at the site everyday, desperate to ensure they at least got the body of their loved one so they could be buried properly.
But rumours soon spread that the army was about to bulldoze the site. Rumours were also spread that trucks removing debris from the site were being used to take away dead bodies.
Anger and frustration spilled over on one or two occasions and relatives, aided by locals, blocked army vehicles carrying debris.
Painstaking work by officials finally calmed the situation. The army made it clear there would be no bulldozing and that every effort would be made to recover any remaining bodies.
The military and fire brigade decided to use heavy equipment sparingly, only after ensuring that no body was left to be recovered.
It is perhaps this painstaking, time-consuming, brick-by-brick search for bodies that has allowed the rescuers to find a woman alive in the rubble on Friday, 12 days after the last survivor was found and 17 days after the building went down.


Fulham climbed into the top half of the Championship after hanging on to beat Blackburn, who had a late goal not given when the ball was over the line.

Ross McCormack stroked the hosts ahead before Moussa Dembele fired into the roof of the net from six yards.
Jordan Rhodes pulled one back from the spot after James Husband pushed him.
And Blackburn were only denied a late equaliser when Grant Hanley's effort was cleared by Jamie O'Hara, with replays showing the ball was in.
Fulham's victory was their first in five games against Rovers and lifts them up to 11th in the Championship table, while winless Blackburn remain in the bottom three.
They were made to work hard for the points by Gary Bowyer's side, who fought back valiantly after falling two goals behind and had more than than enough chances to earn a point.
Media playback is not supported on this device
But ultimately they left themselves with too much to do after Fulham raced into a two-goal lead.
McCormack fired the Cottagers ahead from 12 yards after being played in by Dembele, who then doubled their lead after Jason Steele  had saved from Ryan Tunnicliffe and Tom Cairney.
Home keeper Andy Lonergan saved brilliantly to keep out Ben Marshall's header and Rhodes hit the post at full stretch as Blackburn sought a way back into the game.
They were finally rewarded when Rhodes sent Lonergan the wrong way from the spot and should have levelled when Hanley's effort was not given.
Even then Bengaly-Fode Koita wasted another chance to equalise when he struck the post from close range as Fulham clung on for all three points.
Match ends, Fulham 2, Blackburn Rovers 1.
Second Half ends, Fulham 2, Blackburn Rovers 1.
Foul by Ross McCormack (Fulham).
Thomas Spurr (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner,  Fulham. Conceded by Danny Guthrie.
Danny Guthrie (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ross McCormack (Fulham).
Attempt saved. Moussa Dembele (Fulham) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Tim Ream.
Foul by Tom Lawrence (Blackburn Rovers).
Tom Cairney (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Bangaly-Fodé Koita (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top right corner.
Attempt missed. Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Tom Lawrence replaces Craig Conway.
Substitution, Fulham. Dan Burn replaces James Husband.
Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Moussa Dembele (Fulham).
Offside, Blackburn Rovers. Craig Conway tries a through ball, but Ben Marshall is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Craig Conway (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Hope Akpan with a headed pass.
Attempt missed. Ross McCormack (Fulham) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Tom Cairney.
Attempt blocked. Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Craig Conway with a cross.
Corner,  Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Richard Stearman.
Attempt blocked. Ben Marshall (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Hope Akpan replaces Corry Evans.
Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Richard Stearman (Fulham).
Attempt saved. Ross McCormack (Fulham) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Foul by Ben Marshall (Blackburn Rovers).
James Husband (Fulham) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Moussa Dembele (Fulham) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by James Husband.
Attempt missed. Craig Conway (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers) because of an injury.
Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Jamie O'Hara (Fulham) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Ben Marshall (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jamie O'Hara (Fulham).
Attempt blocked. Tom Cairney (Fulham) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by James Husband with a cross.
Bangaly-Fodé Koita (Blackburn Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Bangaly-Fodé Koita (Blackburn Rovers).
Richard Stearman (Fulham) wins a free kick in the defensive half.


India has successfully landed a jet fighter on an expressway for the first time as a part of trials to use highways for emergency landings.

A Mirage 2000 fighter jet of the Indian air force landed on the expressway connecting the capital, Delhi, with Agra early on Thursday.
The 102-mile-long Yamuna Expressway is one of India's most modern highways.
The air force plans to develop various sections of India's highways to be used as runways at short notice.
The air force said in a statement that the aircraft flew in from a base in central India and made a "practice approach on the highway, coming down to a height of 100m before landing off the next approach" in Uttar Pradesh state.
A large number of police were deployed along the stretch of the highway where the exercise was conducted. Senior air force officials were also present to witness the landing and take-off.
A makeshift air traffic control was set up, bird-watchers were on alert and fire engines and rescue vehicles were on stand-by, news channel NDTV reported..
The exercise stalled traffic on the highway for a few hours. Local people, including residents from nearby villagers, gaped at the sight.
Road runways are usually used for emergency landings if airbases come under attack during wartime.
Many countries, including neighbouring Pakistan, have dedicated stretches of expressways for landing fighter planes.


A governor has been appointed for Wrexham's new £212m super-prison, the Ministry of Justice has announced.

Russ Trent is currently in charge of HMP Brinsford in Staffordshire and chairman of the Prison Service Sports Association (PSSA).
The Prison Service will run Wrexham's category C jail, which will house 2,000 inmates, making it the UK's largest.
Mr Trent, a former royal marine, will take up his new position in the summer.


Egypt has begun demolishing the headquarters of the now-dissolved party of former President Hosni Mubarak.

The building in Cairo near Tahrir Square was torched in the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.
Demolition workers also began tearing down a nearby office block that was once the centre of state bureaucracy.
Egypt's government approved the move in April and said that the land would be given to the neighbouring Egyptian Museum.
Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP) was dissolved in April 2011 and its assets, including its headquarters on the River Nile, were seized.
BBC Middle East editor Alan Johnston says that those who rose up against Mubarak will certainly welcome the demolition work.
But he says that many will be deeply disappointed that in other, more important ways, their revolution failed to fulfil their expectations.
Mubarak was sentenced to three years in jail on corruption charges after a retrial earlier this month.
His original conviction was overturned in January over legal procedures.
The ex-leader remains in the Maadi Military Hospital in Cairo where he has been held amid his trials.
His two sons were also given four years in prison in the same case, which centres on the embezzlement of $14m (Â£9.2m) earmarked for renovation of presidential palaces.
In June, Egypt's highest court is due to decide whether to allow an appeal against a lower court ruling that dropped murder charges against Mubarak.


Plans to give a Lake District promenade a £250,000 makeover have moved a step closer.

Popular attraction Waterhead, on the northern shore of Windermere, is home to a ferry pier, hotels and cafes.
South Lakeland Council has agreed proposals to spruce up the area including new seating and an information board to identify key local landscapes.
Plans also include widening part of the promenade and new bicycle stands.
Lake District National Park planners will have the final say on the development, which if approved, work could start on later this year.


The European Union has filed a complaint against Google over its alleged anti-competitive behaviour.

The competition commissioner said she had issued a "statement of objections", stating that the firm's promotion of its own shopping links amounted to an abuse of its dominance in search.
Margrethe Vestager said Google now had 10 weeks to respond.
The firm said it "strongly disagreed" with the allegations and looked forward to making its case.
Ms Vestager also revealed that she had launched an investigation into whether the way Google bundled apps and services for its Android operating system was unfair.
And the commissioner said the EU would continue to monitor other activities by Google that its rivals had complained about.
It follows a five-year investigation into the company and marks the start of a formal legal process that could ultimately lead to billions of euros of fines.
Google accounts for more than a 90% of EU-based web searches.
The European Commission has investigated the antitrust allegations - made by Microsoft, Tripadvisor, Streetmap and others - since 2010.
Among their complaints was an objection to Google placing adverts from its Shopping service ahead of others' links in relevant searches.
Ms Vestager said the Commission's preliminary findings supported the claim that Google "systematically" gave prominence to its own ads, which amounted to an abuse of its dominant position in search.
"I'm concerned that Google has artificially boosted its presence in the comparison shopping market with the result that consumers may not necessarily see what's most relevant for them, or that competitors may not get the the commercial opportunity that their innovative services deserve," she told a press conference in Brussels.
Ms Vestager said that she was not seeking a wider redesign of Google's search results or asking it to change its algorithms.
But she added that the case could set a precedent that would determine how the EU handled other complaints about Google favouring its own mapping, hotels and flights services.
Google has rejected the idea its Shopping service distorts the market.
"While Google may be the most used search engine, people can now find and access information in numerous different ways - and allegations of harm, for consumers and competitors, have proved to be wide of the mark," wrote its search chief Amit Singhal on the firm's blog.
"It's clear that: (a) there's a ton of competition - including from Amazon and eBay, two of the biggest shopping sites in the world and (b) Google's shopping results have not the harmed the competition.
"Any economist would say that you typically do not see a ton of innovation, new entrants or investment in sectors where competition is stagnating - or dominated by one player. Yet that is exactly what's happening in our world."
Many of Google's rivals welcomed the EU's action.
"Google's abuse of dominance distorts European markets, harms consumers, and makes it impossible for Google's rivals to compete on a level playing field," said lobbying group Icomp.
"We see this statement of objection as a crucial first step towards ensuring that European consumers have access to vibrant and competitive online markets."
The EU has also launched a separate investigation into Google's Android operating system, used by smartphones and tablets, which will focus on three topics:
"These issues are distinct from the Google comparison shopping case and the investigations will of course be different," Ms Vestager said.
In response, Google stressed that Android devices could be offered without its services.
"It's important to remember that [our partner agreements] are voluntary - you can use Android without Google - but provide real benefits to Android users, developers and the broader ecosystem," said lead engineer Hiroshi Lockheimer.
"Our app distribution agreements make sure that people get a great 'out of the box' experience with useful apps right there on the home screen. This also helps manufacturers of Android devices compete with Apple, Microsoft and other mobile ecosystems that come preloaded with similar baseline apps."
Google could ultimately face huge fines and be ordered to reshape its business in Europe because of the shopping complaint.
In recent years, the Commission has imposed antitrust penalties on other tech giants, ordering Intel to pay €1.1bn (£793m; $1.2bn) in 2009, and Microsoft €516m in 2013.
However, Ms Vestager said she was "open" to Google's response, and would listen to its case before deciding how to proceed.
One independent expert said that the matter could take years to resolve.
"I can't see that this will be a fast process given the complexity of the subject matter, what's at stake and the likely level of the fine," said Paul Henty, a lawyer at Charles Russell Speechlys who has previously worked for the European Commission.
The EU's investigation is not the only one Google is facing.
Investigators at India's Competition Commission delivered a report last week after carrying out a three-year probe into claims of unfair business practices.
Their counterparts in Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Taiwan and Canada have also opened investigations.
However, the US Federal Trade Commission dropped its own probe at the start of 2013 after Google made several non-binding commitments.


Millwall midfielder Jimmy Abdou has signed a new one-year contract with the Championship side.

The 33-year-old has made nearly 350 appearances for the Lions, 22 of those coming last season, since joining from Plymouth Argyle in 2008.
He helped the Lions win promotion from League One last season, starting all three of their play-off matches, including the final against Bradford.
Abdou follows Freddie Onyedinma in penning a fresh deal at the New Den.


Aston Villa manager Remi Garde refused to talk about his future following his side's 2-0 defeat at West Ham.

The Midlands club are bottom of the Premier League - 10 points from safety - and failed to make any signings in the January transfer window.
Reports have since suggested Garde will reassess his future in the summer.
But the Frenchman said: "I'm speaking only about the game. I have nothing else to say. It's not the time to answer this question."
Villa had a penalty appeal rejected against the Hammers before having Jordan Ayew sent off after just 17 minutes.
West Ham opened the scoring through Michail Antonio - a goal Garde thought might have been offside - before Cheikhou Kouyate added a second for the Upton Park outfit.
"I'm not going to speak any more (about) the incident, it's a major one in the game but I don't have to explain my feelings, and you can guess Jordan's feelings," he added.
"Whatever happens in the dressing room is private.
"But I'm not sure it was the only incident that turned the game. Of course I think we should have had a penalty.
"I'm not a lucky or unlucky man, but I don't like to hear it's because we are at the bottom. The rules in football are there for everybody."


A pair of black swans have laid eggs in Dawlish, in the south-west of England.

18 February 2016 Last updated at 07:38 GMT
The famous birds are in danger of dying out because they were no females until two were given to the town in Devon.
The eggs are due to hatch in March and lots of people in the town are pretty excited.
Take a look.


Nigel Farage has said immigration must be a key issue in the EU referendum campaign, claiming Europe's asylum policy has "opened the door to an exodus of biblical proportions".

The UKIP leader said those wanting to downplay the subject in the run-up to the vote, fearing it would strike too divisive a tone, were wrong.
The EU had "sent a message" that millions of migrants were welcome.
UKIP will launch its own campaign to leave the EU, not join other groups.
His comments come as record numbers try to enter Europe and in the wake of the deaths of 71 people in a lorry in Austria last week - most of whom were thought to be Syrians fleeing the country's civil war.
The tragedy has prompted calls both for more rights for migrants and for border controls to be tightened up across Europe.
Mr Farage said the authorities should be making it "more difficult" for people to cross borders, and said the EU had "lost sight" of the difference between genuine refugees fleeing from war and persecution and economic migrants wishing to better their lives.
"The problem we have now is if you look at the definition of the EU's asylum policy, it includes anybody who comes from a war-torn country and it even includes people leaving extreme poverty," he told Radio 4's Today programme.
"The EU have sent a message that anybody who comes across the Mediterranean or comes through Turkey, once they have set foot in an EU country they will be accepted. That's sent a message to hundreds of thousands of people that they can come.
"The problem we've got is potentially we've opened the door to an exodus of biblical proportions, meaning millions and millions of people," he added.
Also speaking on Monday, Labour leadership campaigner Yvette Cooper said EU nations had failed to work together to respond to the challenge of the current crisis and had a responsibility to separate asylum policy from debates about managing immigration.
Mr Farage said UKIP would play a "unique role" in the referendum on the UK's future in the EU, to be held by the end of 2017, but again insisted he would not lead the official No campaign urging withdrawal.
The Electoral Commission has yet to decide which group to designate as the official No campaign for the referendum, with two groups currently vying for the role. Designation brings with it the benefits of higher spending limits, television broadcasts and a grant.
Mr Farage said UKIP, which will launch its own campaign on Friday, would work alongside whichever "umbrella" group was chosen as well as Eurosceptics in other parties.
"The unique role that UKIP can play within this is that we have 50,000 members, hundreds of branches across the country and we can do the ground campaign."
Mr Farage suggested UKIP's performance in the 2014 European elections, when it topped the polls in the UK, showed it could deliver nearly two thirds of the votes needed to win a referendum on EU membership.
He added: "It is no different to the Yes campaign... already the SNP have said they will do their own thing and not join up with anybody and do their own thing. It is the same on both sides."
Analysis by political correspondent Robin Brant
Nigel Farage believes UKIP has the structure in place to mobilise thousands of activists that could prove invaluable to any No campaign, placing his party is at the heart of the effort.
Mr Farage also thinks the other No camps lack his combination of political nous and reach outside of Westminster. Nonetheless he paints a picture of harmony on the No side.
He says he speaks to senior figures in the other camps several times a week. He is also inviting them to UKIP's conference in Doncaster at the end of September. He wants to see them up on the stage addressing his faithful.
What of the Yes camp? Easyjet chief executive Carolyn McCall had been thought to be the person being eyed up to front the campaign - but Business for New Europe have now said she will not lead it.
Behind the scenes, early funding is coming from Lord Sainsbury and there is already a cross-party consensus in place with Peter Mandelson, Danny Alexander and Damian Green the self-appointed political figures.
Strategy is quite advanced. University students arriving for the start of term are likely to face a concerted effort from a Yes campaign that wants to take advantage of political activists already in place on campuses across the country.
But the decision risks muddying the water on the No side, with effectively three rival campaigns in existence - the Business for Britain group featuring well-known Westminster figures, UKIP donor Aaron Banks' group The Know.eu, as well as UKIP.
Mr Farage said he hoped the two other groups would come together to fight the No campaign as one, which he suggested could be fronted by a non-politician, such as someone from the worlds of business and entertainment.
He added: "What I do know is the Yes campaign is very active. Over the course of the last few months we have seen Richard Branson, Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson. They are out there campaigning and we need to get cracking."


Dundalk's attempt to become the first Irish side to make the Champions League group stages fell just short as they lost 3-1 to Legia Warsaw on aggregate after a creditable 1-1 draw in Poland.

Robbie Benson lit up an uneventful first half with a stunning sweetly-struck right-foot volley into the top corner from the edge of the area.
The hosts had Adam Hlousek sent-off for a second yellow card on 67 minutes.
Michal Kucharczyk equalised with a composed solo effort in added time.
Dundalk will go into the Europa League group stages, emulating the achievement of fellow League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers in 2011. The draw will be made on Friday.
Legia Warsaw will await the outcome of the Champions League draw in Monaco on Thursday after becoming the first club from Poland to reach the group stages for 20 years.
The visitors, who secured a league and cup double in Ireland last season, had qualified for the qualifying play-off by defeating Belarusian champions Bate Borisov 3-1 in the previous round, aided by a memorable 3-0 second-leg victory.
Dundalk boasts a population of just 39,000 and the club went into the second leg of their tie at the Polish Army Stadium having already banked more than £4m for their European exploits, with more set to come as their European adventure continues.
Dundalk's chances of progression appeared to be slim after their 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Polish champions in Dublin last week, but Benson's magnificent first-half strike was just reward for Stephen Kenny's side's efforts in the opening half.
Benson had come into the side to replace suspended captain Stephen O'Donnell and his perfectly executed goal was his fourth of the season and his second in the competition.
Benson went close to grabbing a second in the 63rd minute but his overhead bicycle kick, after David McMillan headed into his path, flew over the bar.
Hlousek received his second booking four minutes later for hauling down Ronan Finn but Dundalk were unable to take advantage of the extra man.
Kucharczyk's thunderous late strike on the break extinguished the Irish side's hopes and exploited the gaps in their defence as they pushed forward in search of the goal that would have taken the game to extra-time.
Match ends, Legia Warsaw 1, Dundalk 1.
Second Half ends, Legia Warsaw 1, Dundalk 1.
Lukasz Broz (Legia Warsaw) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Daryl Horgan (Dundalk).
Foul by Guilherme (Legia Warsaw).
Dane Massey (Dundalk) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Legia Warsaw. Aleksandar Prijovic replaces Thibault Moulin.
Michal Kucharczyk (Legia Warsaw) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration.
Goal!  Legia Warsaw 1, Dundalk 1. Michal Kucharczyk (Legia Warsaw) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe following a fast break.
Michal Kucharczyk (Legia Warsaw) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Patrick Barrett (Dundalk).
Offside, Legia Warsaw. Guilherme tries a through ball, but Thibault Moulin is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Guilherme (Legia Warsaw) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Michal Kucharczyk.
Substitution, Dundalk. Michael O'Connor replaces Patrick McEleney.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Guilherme (Legia Warsaw) because of an injury.
Offside, Legia Warsaw. Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe tries a through ball, but Michal Kucharczyk is caught offside.
Substitution, Dundalk. Darren Meenan replaces Chris Shields.
Attempt blocked. Michal Kucharczyk (Legia Warsaw) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Bartosz Bereszynski.
Attempt blocked. Andrew Boyle (Dundalk) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Daryl Horgan with a cross.
Corner,  Dundalk. Conceded by Igor Lewczuk.
Foul by Thibault Moulin (Legia Warsaw).
Sean Gannon (Dundalk) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Patrick McEleney (Dundalk) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Daryl Horgan.
Corner,  Legia Warsaw. Conceded by Sean Gannon.
Attempt blocked. Bartosz Bereszynski (Legia Warsaw) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Thibault Moulin.
Robbie Benson (Dundalk) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Michal Kucharczyk (Legia Warsaw) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Robbie Benson (Dundalk).
Substitution, Legia Warsaw. Bartosz Bereszynski replaces Nemanja Nikolic.
Guilherme (Legia Warsaw) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Chris Shields (Dundalk).
Second yellow card to Adam Hlousek (Legia Warsaw) for a bad foul.
Foul by Adam Hlousek (Legia Warsaw).
Ronan Finn (Dundalk) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Legia Warsaw. Guilherme replaces Steeven Langil.
Foul by Igor Lewczuk (Legia Warsaw).
David McMillan (Dundalk) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Robbie Benson (Dundalk) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by David McMillan with a headed pass.
Corner,  Dundalk. Conceded by Adam Hlousek.


The Hay Festival is one of the world's top literary festivals, staged in the small town on the Wales-England border.

But as the 2011 event gets under way, how much do you know about it and the Powys town that plays host?
1. Hay Festival has inspired other similar cultural events over the past decade. Festivals, run the the organisers of Hay, are now staged in exotic locations such as India, the Maldives and Mexico. New destinations for 2011 include Cape Town in South Africa, Xalapa in Mexico and the south Wales town of Merthyr Tydfil.
2. Admission to the Hay Festival is free to students.
3. Half of the festival's audience comes from Wales.
4. The children's version of the festival is known as Hay Fever.
5. Two former US Presidents have visited the festival - Bill Clinton in 2001 and Jimmy Carter in 2008.
6. The late singer-songwriter Ian Dury rewrote the lyrics to "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick" at Hay in one of his last concerts: "From the gardens of Bombay, all the way to lovely Hay".
7. There have been some memorable quotes at the festival. Here are a few: "The Woodstock of the Mind" - former US President Bill Clinton.
"Is that some kind of sandwich?"  - Arthur Miller, American playwright.
"In my mind it's replaced Christmas" -  former Labour cabinet minister Tony Benn.
"One of the finest, most thought-provoking literary gatherings I've ever attended" - Junot DÃaz, Dominican-American writer and creative writing professor.
8. There are about 30 bookshops in Hay-on-Wye.
9. Including Hay Festival, there are 10 other festivals and shows in the town, including Hay-on-Wye Food Festival, Hay Arts and Crafts Festival, Hay-on-Wye Horse and Pony Show and Hay-on-Wye Winter Food Festival.
10. Hay-on-Wye's population is about 1,500.
11. Hay has a Welsh name, Y Gelli (The Grove), and this appears on signposts in the area.
12. Before its bookshops and literary festival, Hay-on-Wye achieved notoriety for all the wrong reasons when in 1922 Herbert Rowse Armstrong, a local solicitor, was hanged for his wife's murder.
13. Hay's Three Tuns Pub is said to have welcomed famous and infamous visitors, including musician  Jools Holland, singer Marianne Faithful, politician Lord Kinnock, BBC news presenter Huw Edwards and some of the Great Train Robbers.
14. Hay Festival is said to have been founded around a kitchen table in 1987.
15. The festival has been held at a variety of venues, including the town's primary school.
16. Hay is said to be the world's first book town.
17. Richard Booth is credited with transforming the town into a global attraction for second-hand book lovers after opening his first shop in 1962.
18. On 1 April 1977, Mr Booth proclaimed Hay an independent kingdom and he was crowned king and ruler of the new state. His horse was named Prime Minister.
19. Over the last three decades, Hay Festival's audience has grown from 1,000 people to up to 250,000 visitors.
20. The town of Hay is twinned with Timbuktu in Mali.


Welsh Olympic silver-medal winning boxer Fred Evans is finally set to make his professional debut.

Evans, 26, will fight on the undercard of his friend Andrew Selby's WBC World Flyweight Eliminator at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on 26 May.
Evans shot to prominence as an amateur when he won silver as a welterweight at the London Olympics in 2012.
"It's been a long time coming, but I can't wait to be back in the ring," said Evans.
He will make his paid debut at light-welterweight in a six-round fight against a yet-to-be-named opponent.
In October 2015 Evans admitted unlawful wounding and was given a suspended jail term after punching a friend in a Gloucestershire pub.
He had also been refused accreditation to compete for Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games following checks by the Home Office and Games officials.
Evans announced he was turning professional in December 2015 and is now looking forward to his debut.
Evans added: "It's great to be able to start my pro career boxing in my hometown of Cardiff after spending most of my amateur career boxing away from home.
"I reached the pinnacle of an Olympic final in 2012 and now my dream is to reach the top in the pro ranks."
Evans won gold for Wales at the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Ankara in Turkey.


MPs have summoned the heads of the Financial Conduct Authority to explain why an inquiry into bank culture was dropped, the BBC has learned.

FCA chairman John Griffith-Jones and acting chief executive Tracey McDermott have been asked to appear before the Treasury Select Committee.
Andrew Tyrie, the committee's chairman, told the BBC that the city watchdog's decision to halt the inquiry was "odd".
The FCA said it would now work with individual banks on improving conduct.
The report into the culture that drives behaviour in the banking industry was billed as an important piece of work, and was presented as part of its annual business plan.
When it shelved the inquiry last month, the FCA said it remained committed to helping improve culture and behaviour, but wanted to work individually, directly and privately with the banks.
Mr Tyrie told the BBC that it was important that banks and regulators were held to account for their supervision of an industry which took billions of taxpayers money during the financial crisis and had been found guilty of a string of misconduct scandals.
The decision to drop the inquiry was just one of a series of decisions many observers perceived as banker-friendly, and have led to accusations the city regulator is going soft.
In addition to the shelved culture report, the FCA decided to take no further action against HSBC after allegations it helped customers of its Swiss subsidiary avoid tax.
A report into incentive structures for financial product sales staff has also been abandoned.
The FCA has been without a permanent chief executive since Martin Wheatley, a robust critic of the banks, left last summer.
UK Chancellor George Osborne decided not to renew his contract and no replacement has yet been named, leaving Ms McDermott, former head of enforcement at the FCA, holding the fort.
There is no suggestion that the Treasury is issuing instructions to the FCA, and the watchdog strenuously denies they are going soft on the banks. The FCA points to nearly a Â£1bn worth of fines levied in the last five years.
But critics, such as Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, suggest that it appears that time has been called on the era of banker-bashing.
They say it may be no coincidence that the FCA's decisions come as HSBC considers moving its global headquarters out of London and that the government needs favourable conditions to sell its enormous stake in Royal Bank of Scotland.


A town's illuminations which attract thousands of people every autumn have been saved from the axe.

The event in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, was under threat due to fears a cliff could collapse on to a public footpath.
The 250-year-old passage which forms part of Lovers' Walks is used as an emergency escape route during the festival.
Derbyshire Dales District Council has now agreed to pay for remedial work costing about Â£25,000.
The authority closed the path along the River Derwent after experts found loose blocks of limestone ranging in size from 1cm to 2m in the cliff.
The area affected includes the stretch from New Bridge in Derwent Gardens to Jubilee Bridge.
The original Lovers' Walks was created before 1742 and has been used as a public space ever since.
Work to make the area safe is expected to take three weeks.


A legal bid has been lodged against plans to construct a visitor centre at the foot of York's Clifford's Tower.

English Heritage was given the go-ahead for a Â£2m project at the base of the 13th Century tower.
A petition signed by 3,778 people against the move has been presented to York City Council and English Heritage.
Councillor John Hayes, who has applied to the High Court for a judicial review, described the planning process as "deeply flawed".
A council spokesman said: "We are entirely confident we have followed due process at all stages of the application."
Read more about this and other stories from across York and North Yorkshire
Mr Hayes, who represents the Micklegate Ward, said: "I believe that this is the wrong building in the wrong place, I think that a visitor centre would be better placed elsewhere if one is to be built.
"I also strongly believe that the planning process to decide on this proposal was deeply flawed."
The council needed to respond to the application before the end of the month, he added.
Objectors claim the centre, part of a wider scheme to improve access to the ruin, would damage views of the tower.
Planning councillors granted permission for the changes by 11 votes to three in October.
City of York Council said it was "disappointed" a judicial review had been lodged, which would cause an "unnecessary delay" to the improvement project.
An English Heritage spokesperson said: "We remain committed to this project which will conserve Clifford's Tower, tell its story better, and improve the quality of visits to this historic landmark.
"We await the High Court's decision on whether judicial review of the planning permission will go forward."


A gay and lesbian choir will stage a musical takeover of the Manchester Metrolink after two young gay men were attacked.

Jean Claude Manseau, 25, known as Jo, and Jake Heaton, 19, were on the tram on 1 November when they say a man started shouting homophobic abuse.
The pair had been singing songs from the musical Wicked. After leaving the tram around 1am they went towards Canal Street, famed for its gay bars.
At that point they say a group of around 15 men attacked them.
Jean-Claude told the Manchester Evening News it has "destroyed every bit of confidence I have."
He said it would be a while before he felt safe enough to go back into the city centre.
He added: "They split my forehead, my lip, broke my nose. My eyes are black and swollen. My ribs are painful, I can't move much."
Now the Manchester Gay and Lesbian Chorus have planned a Safe to Sing event to help bolster the confidence of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people in the city.
They plan to sing songs from Wicked on Monday 17 November, and will be joined by Manchester's Halle choir.
The choir posted on Facebook: "It's difficult to express the impact of this attack on the LGBT community because so many of us have fought so long to make Manchester a safe place for people like Jo and Jake."
The group will be singing on the Metro at 8pm on Monday and will post song sheets on their website so everyone can join in.
They've even created a poster in green Wicked colours.
Rachel Fox, a member of the choir, told BBC Newsbeat: "This is about the LGBT community getting together and saying we won't stand for this. We want to reclaim the areas in which the men were attacked, on the metro and in Piccadilly gardens.
"We want to reach out to the LGBT community to encourage them to come out, join us and be proud. Our straight allies are absolutely welcome. If you love someone, if you have a family member or friend in the LGBT community then you are part of this community as well.  Hopefully this will be a mass sing off."
Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus Musical Director Loz Kaye said: "As it says in the lyrics of the musical Wicked 'you can't pull me down'. Nobody is going to pull us down."
Police are investigating the original attack and are looking for a white man in his early 20s with short hair, and a group of black or mixed race men.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


The skull of FW Murnau, the director of 1920s silent vampire classic Nosferatu, has been removed from his grave, according to authorities in Germany.

The theft from the Stahnsdorf cemetery outside Berlin is thought to have taken place between 4 and 12 July.
It is not known whether the grave, which sits beside those of Murnau's two brothers, was targeted specifically.
Born in 1888 in Germany, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau died in a car accident in California in 1931.
His best-known film remains 1922's Nosferatu, an unauthorised adaptation of the Dracula story starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.
Murnau moved to Hollywood in 1926, where he directed the Oscar-winning silent drama Sunrise among other films.
The making of Nosferatu was dramatised in 2000's Shadow of the Vampire, in which Murnau was played by John Malkovich and Shreck by Willem Dafoe.
Police have called for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious at the cemetery in recent weeks to come forward with information.


A Westminster committee has called for clarity on the "unanswered questions" of Scottish independence.

A report by the Scottish Affairs Select Committee said details were needed on issues such as bank regulation, pension payments and the national currency.
It also asked about Scotland's share of the national debt and whether Scots would need passports.
The SNP dismissed the report as "shoddy" and as an "embarrassment to the authors".
The committee's inquiry began in October last year, looking at the potential impact of independence following a ballot, which the Scottish government wants to hold in autumn 2014.
The report, called the Referendum on Separation for Scotland: Unanswered Questions, has set out six areas where the Scottish Affairs Committee believe information is needed.
They include issues such as Scotland's defences and the costs of independence.
The committee called on Scottish Secretary Michael Moore to work with it to provide "a joint provision of factual and unbiased information to the people of Scotland".
Committee chairman, Labour MP Ian Davidson, said: "The big question about such an unknown quantity as separation is the terms of the 'divorce settlement' - how resources, rights and responsibilities will be broken up.
"The responses we've had clearly show that there is confusion and concern about this, but also that you only need to scratch the surface to reveal how many complex questions there are across banking, pensions, currency, national defences - but also many more personal things."
He added: "The purpose of this inquiry is to set out from the start some of those questions and begin to explore their answers, with the aim of helping to make this process as clear and fair as possible.
"You cannot ask a big question about separation - however you construct it - without first asking and answering all these questions about how it will affect every aspect of every life, in Scotland and the UK as a whole."
SNP Westminster chief whip Stewart Hosie said the committee's inquiry had been overtaken by events and the report was "an embarrassment to its authors".
He continued: "Firstly, it talks about 'separation for Scotland', when Scottish government policy is for independence, not separation.
"But apart from its predictably pejorative approach to the issue of Scotland's constitutional future, this shoddy report from the anti-independence parties has been totally overtaken by events.
"It raises questions which have been dealt with in detail by the Scottish government's white paper published way back in 2009.
"The issues it raises include the currency of an independent Scotland, which is now widely accepted will be sterling, with even Scottish Secretary Michael Moore accepting that Scotland will keep the pound after independence."
Shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran said the committee was asking questions "the people of Scotland need answers to".
She added: "This is an important analysis of the questions that need to be answered about separation, and I expect it to play a big part in the debate ahead."
Scottish Tory constitution spokesman David McLetchie said the onus was now on the Scottish government to fully co-operate with the inquiry to ensure the Scottish people had "all the information they need" before the referendum was held.
The SNP government is currently running a public consultation into the independence issue.
The UK government, which had said it wanted the poll sooner rather than later, is also conducting a consultation.


Democratic Republic of Congo opposition presidential hopeful Moise Katumbi has been charged with hiring foreign mercenaries.

A government spokesman said he was plotting against President Joseph Kabila, Reuters reports.
Mr Kabila is nearing the end of his second term and he is constitutionally obliged to step down by December.
But there is growing political tension as it is not clear if he will relinquish power.
There have been several clashes between Mr Katumbi's supporters and the security forces in recent days.
Mr Katumbi described the charges as "grotesque lies", the AFP news agency reports.
But a guilty verdict would end his presidential campaign.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende said that he could now either be jailed or put under house arrest.
Mr Katumbi is a wealthy businessman who has a lot of support in the mineral-rich south-eastern Katanga province, and was at one time an ally of the president,
He has the backing of seven opposition parties for his run for the presidency, in an election which is scheduled for November.
The Constitutional Court last week ruled that Mr Kabila could remain in power after his mandate ends if elections are not held by the end of 2016.
Moise Katumbi was governor of the south-eastern Katanga province for almost a decade.
In September last year he broke ties with the ruling party when he accused President Kabila, his former ally, of wanting to cling to power.
His popularity is partly down to his job as the president of a great source of Congolese pride - football club TP Mazembe.
They are Africa's reigning football champions, having won the African Champions League for the fifth time in November.
Could Moise Katumbi become president?
Kabila unlikely to give up power


UK broadcasters have made a "complete and utter mess" of plans to hold TV debates ahead of the general election, the Democratic Unionist Party has said.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds made the claim after Prime Minister David Cameron issued an ultimatum about his own participation in the debates.
Mr Cameron said he will take part in only one debate, with seven leaders.
The DUP has begun legal action against the BBC for excluding it from its earlier proposal of two UK TV debates.
The BBC has argued that its impartiality is crucial and UK network TV debates could not include "just one" party from Northern Ireland.
The DUP, which is the biggest party in Northern Ireland and the fourth largest party in the House of Commons, is seeking a judicial review of the BBC's decision.
In a letter to the BBC, Downing Street said the DUP had initiated what appeared to be "legitimate legal action" to challenge their omission from the debate process.
Referring to Mr Cameron's proposed single debate, the letter also stated: "The leader of the DUP should be allowed to make his case for why he should be involved."
Mr Dodds said Mr Cameron has acknowledged that the DUP had a legitimate case, but said the broadcasters handled the process so badly that it now seemed unlikely that any TV debates would take place during the election campaign.
He repeated the DUP's complaint that it is unfair for broadcasters to include leaders from parties in Scotland and Wales in UK-wide debates, while omitting leaders from Northern Ireland.
He told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster that the BBC and other broadcasters had "messed up big style" during the entire debates process.
"We have fought the case for Northern Ireland, because at the end of the day, when the election is held, it's very likely that there is going to be no overall [majority] party," Mr Dodds said.
He said the DUP could have a "very crucial role" to play in negotiations in the event of a hung parliament, so it was essential that their voice was heard in UK-wide debates.
With eight MPs, the DUP has more members elected to the House of Commons than four of the seven parties that have been invited to participate.
The Scottish National Party currently has six MPs, Plaid Cymru has three, UKIP has two and the Greens are represented by a single MP.
The DUP met BBC management in Belfast last month to discuss the issue.
Mr Dodds said his party has not yet heard back from the BBC Trust regarding its legal action on the proposed two-debate format.


Huddersfield and Reading meet in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Monday, with a Premier League place next season on offer to the winners.

Garath McCleary (Reading) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Michael Hefele (Huddersfield Town).
Tommy Smith (Huddersfield Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Danny Williams (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tommy Smith (Huddersfield Town).
Substitution, Reading. Garath McCleary replaces Lewis Grabban.
Attempt blocked. Nahki Wells (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Chris Gunter (Reading).
Nahki Wells (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Huddersfield Town. Collin Quaner replaces Elias Kachunga.
Substitution, Reading. Jordan Obita replaces Joey van den Berg.
Attempt missed. Tommy Smith (Huddersfield Town) left footed shot from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Elias Kachunga.
Corner,  Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Chris Gunter.
Elias Kachunga (Huddersfield Town) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt missed. Yann Kermorgant (Reading) right footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Chris Gunter following a set piece situation.
Tyler Blackett (Reading) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Elias Kachunga (Huddersfield Town).
Attempt missed. Lewis Grabban (Reading) right footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Yann Kermorgant.
Attempt missed. Yann Kermorgant (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Joey van den Berg with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Reading. Conceded by Chris Löwe.
Foul by John Swift (Reading).
Rajiv van La Parra (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Danny Williams (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nahki Wells (Huddersfield Town).
Foul by Danny Williams (Reading).
Chris Löwe (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. John Swift (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by George Evans.
John Swift (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Rajiv van La Parra (Huddersfield Town).
Attempt saved. Chris Löwe (Huddersfield Town) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jonathan Hogg.
Second Half begins Huddersfield Town 0, Reading 0.
First Half ends, Huddersfield Town 0, Reading 0.
Corner,  Reading. Conceded by Michael Hefele.
Chris Gunter (Reading) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Nahki Wells (Huddersfield Town).
Foul by Danny Williams (Reading).
Rajiv van La Parra (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Lewis Grabban (Reading).
Jonathan Hogg (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Town could name the same XI that started the second leg of their semi-final win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Chelsea loanee Kasey Palmer (hamstring) may be a surprise squad inclusion after missing the past three months.
Reading will hope Jordan Obita (ankle) is available after missing the semi-final second leg against Fulham.
Garath McCleary (hamstring) will push for a start after being on the bench in that 1-0 win.
The two sides finished fifth and third respectively in the regular season and were separated by four points.
Huddersfield are bidding to return to English football's top flight for the first time since 1972, while if Jaap Stam's side are victorious at Wembley, it would see them return to the Premier League after a four-season absence.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Huddersfield head coach David Wagner told BBC Radio Leeds:
"I think everybody expected Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday in the final.
"There were a lot of statements before the semi-finals about momentum and about form. It is another example where we have proven that experience and what has happened in the past is irrelevant.
"After the 120 minutes against Sheffield Wednesday there were a lot of tired legs, but now after a training camp in Portugal and training on the grass here, everybody is ready to go."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Reading manager Jaap Stam told BBC Radio Berkshire:
"You've always got ideals as a manager that you want to go for the best results or finish as high as you can, but to end up in the top 10 would have been a good season for us.
"It's a very big and important game, but the players know what they need to do. Everyone's quite calm within the team and there's experienced players there.
"Times like this are probably easiest for a manager, as you don't need to say a lot as a manager as everybody knows what they need to do to win that game and everybody knows what's at stake."
Paul Ogden, BBC Radio Leeds
Huddersfield Town still have some very fresh memories of play-off triumphs, from both Wembley and Cardiff, but the Championship play-off final? It's something we usually watch others do, en route to our half-term beach.
This Wembley weekend has upgraded rapidly in fans' minds, from a possible end-of-season-bonus to something that now should result in regular appearances on Match of The Day next season.
Reading are a respected opponent, similar to Huddersfield in their organisation and desire to keep the ball to themselves all day long, if at all possible.
But as the only play-off participant to have been defeated by Huddersfield during the regular season, the Royals have been regarded throughout as more desirable than free-scoring Fulham or, until the semi-final, indomitable Sheffield Wednesday.
After a season dominated by nail-biting victories (22 of Huddersfield's 25 regular-season wins were by a single goal margin), it is so very Huddersfield to reach Wembley by a penalty shoot-out, and then mysteriously re-introduce cherished Chelsea loanee Kasey Palmer to the squad, during a post-semi-final warm weather training camp.
The thought of Chelsea's borrowed flair-pair Izzy Brown and Palmer, plus a German leading scorer called Elias Kachunga, running free across Wembley in Huddersfield Town colours, will keep all Terriers fans awake with excitement until Monday.
That image, like so many others from a breathtaking season, carry the same likely subtitle; it could be a while before Huddersfield Town fans see anything like this again.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Tim Dellor, BBC Radio Berkshire
Anyone who says they knows who will win this game is guessing - it's far too tight to call.
With 1-0 home wins in the fixtures between these two sides in the regular league season, and only four points separating the two teams over the 46 games, the stats back that up.
The two teams have reached the most valuable game in football in a similar manner. Reading finished 17th last season, and Huddersfield were two places below them.
They have both gone for relatively untried European managers in their mid-40s, who brought in a dozen new players last summer. They both have distinctive possession-based tactical approaches to the game.
Statistically, tactically, and managerially there is little difference, leaving us with the mental toughness of the players.
The team that best copes with the stress of the big occasion, the huge crowd and the enormous consequences of success or failure will inevitably be the ones playing in the Premier League next season.