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The Tory candidate opposing Nigel Farage in the general election owns a website that encourages Hungarian nationals to travel to the UK for low paid work - despite saying he'd be tough on economic migration.

Craig Mackinlay, who was a former deputy leader of Ukip before defecting to the Conservatives in 2005, is standing in the South Thanet constituency in Kent.

He set up the website, named Angolmelo.com, which translates as "work in England", with his Hungarian wife Kati in 2008. The web address was renewed in October 2014.

It encourages Hungarian citizens to come to work in the agricultural and food processing industries in the UK.

The site promises to "source accommodation and do everything possible to make your work time in Britain profitable & enjoyable."

It also provides information about the minimum wage and the right to holiday pay.

Nigel Farage said: "We will just have to see how the people of Thanet South react to this".

A Ukip spokesperson added: "This might explain why Mr McKinley has completely changed his tune on migration over the past few weeks, from staunch opponent when he wanted to be selected by local Tories to a soft middle ground now"

Will Scobie, the Labour Party's candidate in South Thanet, said: "Encouraging migrants to come to the UK while calling for closed borders shows the inconsistency of a man who's willing to stand five times for Ukip before switching to the Tories.

"It demonstrates that Mr Mackinlay inhabits the same world of hypocritical high finance as Nigel Farage, and isn't the strong local voice sticking up for the area that Thanet urgently needs."

Recent polling in Thanet shows the seat to be a three way battle between Labour, Ukip and the Conservatives, with just three percentage points between them.

South Thanet poll (in pts) 30 Craig Mackinlay 29 Nigel Farage 28 Will Scobie ComRes - 1,003 people

Several major Conservative Party figures have descended on Thanet to campaign with Mr Mackinlay in recent days.

He was joined on the trail yesterday by London Mayor Boris Johnson, and today by former Tory leader William Hague.

(Image: PA)

In a post on his website in February, Mr Mackinlay pledged to "deliver a tough policy on economic migration from both inside and outside the EU."

A spokesperson for Mr Mackinlay said: "Craig has never been opposed to people coming here to work."

"Craig's wife is Hungarian." he added. "This was an idea of hers which was set up not long after the disaster with cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay."

"The idea was to protect Hungarian citizens who came over here to work from gang masters."

He said the project never really got off the ground, and was quickly forgotten.