The head of the UK Catholic Church has called for "self-discipline" in public debate as he accused politicians of trading in fear and letting the UK down.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols attacked both US President Donald Trump and UK politicians for the "manner and tone" of recent rhetoric and sharply criticised Trump's refugee ban. 

"We have to gain a lot more discipline and be less indulgent to the indignation that is often stirred up by political leadership that bases itself on fear," he said in an interview on LBC radio on Thursday morning.

He appeared alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and said MPs had let Britain down and "lowered the tone" of public discourse.

"Any leadership that trades in fear is poor leadership and it lets down the best of British society."

The Cardinal, who as Archbishop of Westminster is the UK's most senior Catholic figure, also voiced his outrage at Donald Trump's refugee ban.

"To identify a whole people, a whole nation or a whole religion as the enemy is a desperate road to go down," he said.

"It creates the impression that Christianity belongs in the West and therefore it puts Christians in the Middle East in ever greater jeopardy," he added.

"It does nothing to help the Muslim community deal with the tensions within it."

Both Welby and Nichols voiced their concern at the tone of the EU referendum debate at the time with both Christian leaders coming out to back Remain.

Before the vote Nichols said: "There is a long tradition in Christianity and Catholicism in particular of believing in holding things together. So the Catholic stance towards an effort such as the EU is largely supportive.

"If the vote was to leave Europe I think we would face more complex problems and greater difficulty in finding our role in response to it than we would by playing an active and vigorous part with partners within the EU."