AN election candidate who believes he is the only one who can unseat Oliver Letwin from West Dorset is urging voters to back his campaign against cuts to public services.

Andy Canning is standing for the Liberal Democrats in next month's general election and believes his party's "very strong and united voice" in opposing the Conservative-run Dorset County Council will persuade voters to back him.

He said: "I was motivated to join the Lib Dems by wanting to stand against cuts to public services and I still feel like that today.

"It's very important we defend our National Health Service, schools and bus services from cuts. The cuts so far have been mild because they have been mostly cutting down on bureaucracy. Over the next few years, the situation in West Dorset is going to get much worse. I just hope people don't wait until 2019 before they realise how bad it's going to be."

He added: "The Lib Dems are a very strong and united voice and we are determined to oppose the Conservatives.

"The fact there's only one Labour councillor left in the whole of the county council shows the Labour Party are not relevant to what goes on in West Dorset."

Mr Canning hit out at Theresa May's Brexit strategy and backed the Lib Dems' policy to hold a second referendum on the terms of any deal to leave the European Union.

He said: "I think it's incredible how Theresa May talks about uniting the nation and then ignores half of the nation.

"The reaction to our Brexit stance has been very positive actually - I expected people to be resistant about it.

"The Conservatives are totally committed to a hard Brexit and I feel that's incredibly damaging. The population must be given the final say. I want to see a three-way referendum. The first option is to vote for the deal, option two is to say in the European Union as we are or option three is no deal at all. Let the people decide."

Mr Canning admitted his party made mistakes while in coalition government with the Conservatives from 2010 to 2015, but thinks voters will return to the Liberal Democrats after many abandoned the party at the last general election two years ago.

He said: "I think we badly mishandled the coalition.

"I do think we needed to take some tough measures to deal with te deficit. We were outmanoeuvred by the Conservatives and we have learnt our lesson and we're not going to be going into coalition again with the Conservatives.

"I think people will come back to us now we are stronger. In Dorset we have gained a lot of new members and we are as strong as we have ever been. It's between me and Oliver Letwin. Only the two of us have a realistic chance of winning."

Mr Canning called on the electorate to cast their votes tactically in order to oust Sir Oliver as MP for West Dorset.

He said: "We have to ask people to vote tactically.

"Brexit and the cuts to public services are the issues that are going to dominate the campaign, as well as a lack of affordable housing.

"I think the pledge in the Conservative manifesto about making people pay more for social care and the removal of the triple lock on pensions will also upset a lot of voters. I think they have shot themselves in the foot and they will lose a significant amount of support.

"I think the most important thing is to bring austerity to an end. Across the board, public services are barely surviving. I really fear what will happen in another five years of austerity to our health service, schools and public transport."