Brexit Party's Portsmouth South candidate says Conservatives tried to get him to stand down

John Kennedy, 54, is a former Conservative party member whose membership lapsed four years before he joined Nigel Farage’s latest party.

He was due to stand in Gosport but switched to Portsmouth South when Mr Farage revealed he would not stand candidates in Tory seats.

Donna Jones, Tory candidate, previously tweeted a plea for the Brexit Party not to stand against her.

‘I was lobbied by a number of people who said they'd been asked to by the local Conservative association,’ Mr Kennedy said.

He added: ‘I had a soft offer but I didn’t treat it particularly seriously.’

Mr Kennedy said the person asked if he was interested in ‘doing something other than being the parliamentary candidate in Portsmouth South'.

He replied: ‘Yeah, I will be the MP.’

Mr Farage and party chairman Richard Tice said their candidates have been approached by Conservatives concerned the party’s vote could be split.

Labour's Stephen Morgan is fighting to keep his seat. Steven George from the Justice and Anti-Corruption Party will stand, as will Lib Dem Gerald Vernon-Jackson.

Mr Farage tweeted: ‘Even Boris Johnson’s chief strategic adviser Sir Edward Lister is calling our candidates and offering them jobs if they withdraw. The system is corrupt and broken.’