THE ‘underdog’ candidate in the race for the Warrington South seat has slammed the ‘disdain’ shown towards Leave voters following the EU referendum.

Kevin Hickson is standing for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the general election.

He says he got involved in politics because he wanted to make a difference after believing society was ‘structured in the wrong way’.

The politician quit Labour after the 2016 referendum, a decision he says was primarily due to the party’s stance on Brexit.

“I tried to make that work, I tried to stay in the party, then I realised when I came out in support of leaving the European Union that there was really no room for people with my view in the Labour Party,” said Mr Hickson, who lives in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency.

He confirmed Brexit is a ‘big part’ of the SDP’s agenda but also highlighted its mission to end austerity and rebalance the economy.

Mr Hickson says Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal is not ‘perfect’ but confirmed he would support, if elected on December 12.

And he dismissed calls for a second referendum.

“We believe that the people voted to Leave in 2016 and that vote should be respected,” he added.

“If I was elected in Warrington South, and I appreciate I am very much the underdog, but if I was elected, I would vote through Boris’ deal.

“I would make sure the Conservatives were held to account so they couldn’t delay again beyond the end of January and then I’d be pushing the Conservatives into a free trade agreement, which I think is perfectly possible to reach by the end of next year.

“One of the repugnant features I think of British politics over the last three and a half years is the disdain which has been shown towards Leave voters, they were informed, they did know what they were voting for.”