A woman who accuses Democratic White House candidate Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her 27 years ago has called on him to quit the presidential race.

In an interview, Tara Reade urged Mr Biden to “please step forward and be held accountable”.

She added: “You should not be running on character for the president of the United States.”

Mr Biden, who is set to challenge President Donald Trump in November, has denied Ms Reade’s accusation.

Ms Reade, now 56, worked as a staff assistant to Mr Biden from 1992-93 when he was a senator for the US state of Delaware.

She has said that in 1993 he forced her against a wall and put his hands under her shirt and skirt, penetrating her with a finger, after she delivered him his gym bag.

In her most graphic, detailed account yet of the alleged assault, Ms Reade told US media personality Megyn Kelly that Mr Biden kissed her neck and told her he wanted to have sex with her, using an obscene term.

“So, he had one hand underneath my shirt, and the other had, I had a skirt on, and he went down my skirt and then went up and I remember I was up almost on my tippy toes,” she said.

“When he went inside the skirt, he was talking to me at the same time, and he was leaning into me and I pulled this way away from his head.”

When she refused his advances, she said: “He looked at me and said, ‘What the hell, man, I heard you liked me’.”

She added: “He pointed his finger at me and he said ‘You’re nothing to me. You’re nothing’.”

source bbc.com