Controversy as Tory candidate joins Ukip - but Conservatives say he was fired

Mike Whitehead, who was the Conservative candidate in the safe Labour seat of Hull West & Hessle, attacked the ruling Tory group on East Yorkshire council, saying he was 'disgusted' by their behaviour and the 'wilful refusal' of the national party to intervene.

The news was hailed by Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who said the defection served as 'another hammer blow to Tory pretensions in the north of England'.

He added: "I am delighted to be welcoming Mike to the party at this exciting time. 

"His move to Ukip just underlines that today the real party of opposition to Labour in the north is Ukip."

However, the Conservatives say they sacked Mr Whitehead, claiming Ukip's announcement was a 'cynical, misleading and utterly calculating' attempt to score political points.

A spokesman said: ""This man is not our candidate for Hull West and Hessle. He was sacked last week. He refused to support the local Conservative council candidate and so we wrote to him last week to say that his position was untenable and he could not stand for us at the general election.

"We were already selecting a new candidate for this constituency. This is typical Ukip."

Mr Whitehead said the ruling group of Tories on the local council had got worse since 2011 when seven councillors resigned, claiming they had been bullied and intimidated.

He said: "that same group have managed to gain control of the local party structures by ensuring they are responsible for the organisation of the local election campaign.

"However, the Conservative Party at national level has declined to get involved in what it sees as a remote internal squabble out in the shires.

"The total power of single party control without effective opposition is never a good situation as we have seen from recent events elsewhere in Yorkshire.

"I could not in good conscience continue supporting the local Conservative party when they are obsessed with going down the same road."

However, an email, sent by Conservative nominating officer Alan Mabbutt and dated Good Friday seems to contradict Mr Whitehead's claim.

He said: "As you have stated that you intend to stand in the local election, despite not having been selected for the party, and despite Mrs Clarke asking you to agree to support whoever is properly selected by the association to fight the Willerby and Kirkella ward, I am forced to act to protect the party by refusing to agree to you being nominated to represent the Conservative party at the 2015 general election as candidate for Hull West and Hessle."

Meanwhile, the controversy over whether Labour will get support from the SNP if there is a hung parliament continues.

Speaking in Leeds, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said the SNP was in no-one's interests, and appeared to distance himself from rumours the two parties would do a deal to allow a Labour minority government.

He said: "The SNP is a party which seeks to break up the United Kingdom. They are not a party which is going to want to pursue the interests of working people in Plymouth or London or Manchester or here in Leeds.

"The SNP would actually extend Tory austerity. Fiscal autonomy - which is what the SNP called for - would mean that they would have to deliver over 7 billion deeper spending cuts or tax rises in Scotland than under the Tory plans.

"The SNP getting in in Scotland will allow the Tories to get in in Westminster."

Last week, a memo purporting to be an account of a private meeting between Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon and French ambassador Sylvie Bermann was leaked where it was claimed she would rather David Cameron be Prime Minister than Ed Miliband -  a claim Ms Sturgeon says is '100 per cent untrue'.

Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael admitted the memo had been written by the Scottish Office.

However, the Liberal Democrat denied it causing his department embarrassment.

He said: "This is the middle of an election campaign, these things happen."

Mr Carmichael's claims were attacked by Ms Sturgeon, who said: "I think Alistair Carmichael really needs to question his whole approach to politics if he thinks dirty tricks and smear campaigns are just how things are done in elections."

In other news, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was confronted by hecklers as he campaigned in Surrey.

A small group from the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition chanted "Nick Clegg lied to me, he said uni would be free" in protest at the Lib Dem U-turn over tuition fees as Mr Clegg campaigned in Energy Secretary Ed Davey's Surbiton constituency.

The two largest parties also traded blows over their economic policies.

Ed Balls said a Tory government would raise VAT - despite David Cameron ruling a rise out - and cut people who earn more than £150,000 a year's income tax to 40p.

However, Treasury minister David Gauke said Labour had a plan to make more people pay the 40p rate and increase National Insurance contributions.