SOUTH Dorset Tory hopeful Richard Drax has accused his Labour rival of ‘gutter politics’ in response to ‘misleading’ election leaflets.

Mr Drax has asked Mr Knight to withdraw the leaflets that state that if the Conservatives win power they would slash certain rights and make cuts to crucial services.

But Mr Knight has said he stopped distributing the leaflets a number of weeks ago after the issue was raised during one of the leaders’ debates.

Mr Drax maintains that the leaflets were being handed out in Swanage last weekend.

During the live debate, Tory leader David Cameron asked Gordon Brown to withdraw the ‘scaremongering’ literature on a national basis.

Mr Drax has now written a letter to Mr Knight after he felt that Mr Cameron’s request at the debate was ignored. One of the leaflets claims that if in power the Conservatives would take away the right to see a cancer specialist in two weeks and cut 3,500 police officers from the streets, funding for SureStart children’s services, funding for new schools, the Child Trust Fund and child tax credit.

During the live debate that was held on Thursday, April 22, the Tory leader asked Mr Brown: “Will you withdraw the leaflets that are going out round the country saying the Conservatives would take away things like the free bus pass?”

According to Mr Drax, Mr Brown ‘ducked responsibility’ saying that he had not authorised any of the leaflets.

He said: “Labour are so desperate to cling to power that they have resorted to scaremongering about what a Conservative Government would do.

“While Conservatives are setting out positive plans to change our country for the better, Labour are playing on people’s fears in a shameful way.

“Labour’s smears are disgraceful, untrue and the lowest form of gutter politics, which will just undermine trust in politics yet further.

“I have called upon Jim Knight to do the decent thing and withdraw these leaflets.”

Jim Knight said he had already stopped distributing the leaflets.

He said: “I haven’t distributed the leaflets for some weeks now, ever since Conservatives clarified their position.

“I do remain concerned that their promises don’t add up financially.

“How can they promise tax cuts and at the same time promise that they will continue with all these things?

“They say they will and I have taken that at face value.”