A Labour party campaigner personally backed by Jeremy Corbyn has been caught on a doorbell camera sneakily stealing a Tory campaign leaflet from a letterbox - and replacing it with one of his own.

George Elcock was seen posting leaflets for Labour hopeful Laura McAlpine before finding a flyer for her Tory rival in Vicky Hughes' letterbox and appearing to pull it out, stuff it in his pocket, and replace it with a Labour one.

The furious homeowner, 37, from Harlow in Essex, chased the campaigner down the street after watching back the footage and claims he begged her to keep it a secret.

It comes at the end of an election campaign dogged by accusations of dirty tricks levelled against all the main political parties.

Mr Elcock, a trainee organiser, was backed by Mr Corbyn in September 2017, when the Labour leader tweeted a photo of them together when he was running to be a local councillor

The Liberal Democrats have faced widespread criticism over election publications designed to mimic like local newspapers in different parts of the country.

Residents in Hampshire recently received a free campaign paper called the 'Mid Hampshire Gazette' through their doors.

Leave-backing swing seat Harlow is unlikely Labour target The Leave-supporting Essex seat of Harlow has been held by Tory former minister Robert Halfon since 2010. But it was a Labour seat for 13 years prior to that, having been part of the red wave in the Labour landslide of 1997. It is a potential Labour target - Jeremy Corbyn visited it early on in the campaign to support candidate Laura McAlpine. But it voted 68-32 in favour of Brexit in 2016 and Mr Halfon is defending a majority of 7,031 this time around. These two factors combined should combine to ensure it remains a Conservative seat. It will be a major shock if Mr Halfon is forced out. There are only three candidates standing. Mr Halfon and Ms McAlpine are joined by Lib Dem Charlotte Cane. Advertisement

The front page extolled the the Lib Dem candidate, Paula Ferguson, as 'leading the way'. But the publication was not a genuine newspaper and was produced by the party's PR team.

And the Tories were issued a warning by Twitter that they faced 'decisive corrective action' if they repeat a name-change stunt they pulled during an ITV election debate last month.

The party re branded its Twitter feed for several hours, changing the name from CCHQPress to FactCheckUK during the debate.

The action was heavily criticised as the re branded account could have fooled potential voters that the messages praising Boris Johnson could have been coming from an independent fact checking organisation, rather than the Conservative Party.

Mr Elcock, a trainee organiser, who helps oversee local campaigning activity, was backed by Mr Corbyn in September 2017, when the Labour leader tweeted a photo of them together when he was running to be a local councillor.

Mother-of-two Mrs Hughes refused to say how she was going to vote, insisting that was 'between me and the ballot box' but suggested she wouldn't be opting for Labour.

She branded its campaigner's move 'cheap tactics' and was an attempt to 'sway' her vote.

She said: 'The doorbell camera came up on my phone and when I watched it I was gobsmacked. I was absolutely horrified. I had to check twice. I saw him put his hand into my locked letterbox and take something.

'It's theft and it is absolutely disgraceful. I can't believe that someone who works for the Labour Party has the cheek to steal someone else's property.

'It was a cheap tactic and he was trying to sway my vote. I honestly think it's absolutely appalling.'

Mrs Hughes was at home with her wife, Adele, 34, on Thursday when she heard the doorbell sound at their home.

She couldn't get to the door, so used her phone to view the Ring CCTV camera which pointed towards her letterbox.

George Elcock was seen posting leaflets for Labour hopeful Laura McAlpine before finding a flyer for her Tory rival in Vicky Hughes' letterbox and appearing to pull it out, stuff it in his pocket, and replace it with a Labour one

Mr Elcock with the bundle of Labour leaflets in his pocket - as seen on Mrs Hughes' bell camera

Vicky Hughes, 37, from Harlow in Essex, chased the campaigner down the street after watching back the footage and claims he begged her to keep it a secret

Mr Elcock is listed on Facebook as a trainee organiser for Labour, and is seen here wearing a Corbyn t-shirt

Who is Labour campaigner George Elcock? George Elcock describes himself on Facebook as a trainee organiser for Labour, and his cover photo shows him wearing a t-shirt with Jeremy Corbyn's face on it. Labour organisers help oversee campaigning activity in their local area and manage activists. Trainee ones learn the job from their seniors before taking over. He studied Drama at the University of Kent before standing as a candidate for the Labour Party in the 2018 Thurrock Council elections. He gained 636 votes, coming second behind his Tory rival Alex Anderson. In 2017, Mr Corbyn tweeted a photo of himself with the candidate which said: 'Great to meet stallholders and locals on Grays High Street with George Elcock - Labour's Council candidate for @ThurrockLabour.' Mr Elcock has since made the snap his Facebook profile picture. He regularly posts about politics on his account. Advertisement

The footage showed him wait, look around, pocket something from the locked letterbox, and then put another leaflet back in.

The video then showed Mrs Hughes run out the door after him, and she said she confronted him in the street.

The mother, who has two children, Chloe, 20 and Joel, 15, said: 'I went up to him and told him what I saw him do. I said “I saw you take something out of my letterbox and put it in your pocket”.

'He said “I am really sorry, it was a Conservative leaflet I took”. He begged me not to tell anyone. He said he would lose his job if anyone found out.

'He represents the people and I can't believe that someone in his position would do something like this. He tried to take my choice away from me. As a voter I am entitled to make my own mind up.'

Mrs Hughes said this and similar incidents would 'injure the credibility' of Labour.

She said: 'He could have taken a private letter. It could have been anything or something really important.

'I expect so much better from someone who represents the people. I am definitely not voting for Labour now and my daughter has said the same.

'This tried to restrict our voting. We should have the freedom to decide on our own. I am seething about it, it has made me really angry.'

Mr Elcock is listed on Facebook as a trainee organiser for Labour, and his profile photo shows him wearing a t-shirt with Corbyn's face on it.

The leaflet for Harlow MP Robert Halfon (left) and the Labour leaflet (right) that Mr Elcock replaced it with

He was the Labour Party candidate in the 2018 Thurrock Council elections but lost out to his Conservative rival in Stanford East & Corringham Town.

In 2017, Mr Corbyn tweeted a photo of himself with the candidate which said: 'Great to meet stallholders and locals on Grays High Street with George Elcock - Labour's Council candidate for @ThurrockLabour.'

Mr Elcock has since made the snap his Facebook profile pic.

East of England Labour Party press office has not responded to a request for comment.

Laura McAlpine and Mr Elcock are yet to be reached for comment.

Boris Johnson hides in a FRIDGE to avoid GMB interview during his milk round after his minder blocks reporter and tells him 'for f*** sake' LIVE on air - leaving Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid shocked

Boris Johnson's exasperated media minder swore on live TV today as the PM refused to speak to Good Morning Britain before seeking refuge in a fridge as he started an early-morning milk round in Yorkshire.

Piers Morgan was visibly shocked and Susanna Reid had her head in her hands as Mr Johnson's press secretary Robert Oxley declared 'for f***'s sake' and blocked the path of GMB's roving reporter Jonathan Swain.

The Tory leader, who was delivering milk in the marginal seat of Pudsey, West Yorkshire, this morning, has repeatedly refused to appear on the ITV1 show.

Mr Swain confronted Boris as he put milk crates in a van and said: 'Morning Prime Minister, will you come on Good Morning Britain? Will you deliver on your promise to speak to Piers and Susanna?'.

A tired-looking Mr Oxley loudly muttered: 'For f***'s sake' as his boss ignored the calls and wandered into a large walk-in chiller as Mr Morgan exclaimed: 'He's gone into the fridge'.

Following several minutes in the fridge, Mr Johnson later returned with a crate of orange juice and was asked if he would keep his promise to appear on the programme and replied: 'Of course I will' - but with the polls opening tomorrow he refused to say when.

Tory sources reportedly said the PM was 'categorically not hiding' in the fridge and that he was actually being briefed by aides ahead of a separate and pre-agreed interview.

Mr Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will today engage in whistle-stop tours of the UK in a last push for votes after a new poll showed the race for Number 10 is much tighter than previously thought.

A massive YouGov survey published overnight suggested the Tories are on course to win 339 seats which would give Mr Johnson a majority of 28 while Labour could lose 31 and finish on 231.

However, the margin of error on the poll means the number of Tory MPs could fall between 311 and 367 which means a hung parliament is still a distinct possibility.