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A UKIP candidate has told voters in Wakefield to vote Labour because of the Tories' "heartless" plans to scrap free school dinners.

Lewis Thompson, UKIP’s candidate in the neighbouring Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford constituency urged the party’s supporters in Wakefield to back Labour's Mary Creagh.

In a surprising letter to the Wakefield Express, Mr Thompson, 23, wrote: “I’m urging the people of Wakefield to vote Labour. We can’t let the Tories get a huge majority.”

Mr Thompson described the Tories' plans to scrap free school meals as "heartless" saying it would "hit the working class the hardest" and "plunge children even more into poverty"

He said: "That meal is sometimes the only meal a child will eat that day. Taking that away is heartless."

Theresa May wants to scrap free school meals in a bid to save £650 million and which experts have calculated the

Justifying the letter on Twitter Lewis Thompson said: "The explanation is I backed her because I'm sick of ukipper (sic) saying vote Tories.

"The Tories will bring us back to the 70s/80s up north.

"I'm sorry but child poverty is more of a priority that Brexit ."

Mr Thompson, who is standing in Yvette Cooper's seat, has also urged UKIP voters in seats where the party isn't standing to back Labour over the Tories.

The 24-year-old told the Daily Mirror: "I've done it off my own back and it's nothing to do with head office or regional.

"It was quite a difficult decision to take as, as suspected I've received quite a back lash against it. I still stand by with what I've said."

UKIP polled almost 8,000 votes in Wakefield at the last general election but has not put forward a candidate for the seat this time.

Ms Creagh successfully defended the Wakefield seat with a majority of just 2,613 in 2015.

Wakefield, which Ms Creagh has represented since 2005, is a key target for the Conservatives at this election.

She is a passionate Remainer who voted against triggering Article 50 despite.

This is despite the Wakefield council area voting in favour of leaving by 66.3%