IT HAS emerged that the Liberal Democrat candidate for Basingstoke has previously compared the Conservative government to a Nazi dictatorship.

In an old Facebook post in August, Lib Dem hopeful, Sashi Mylvaganam, had compared the incumbent Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Adolf Hitler.

The post read: “Theresa May once famously called the Tories the nasty party at their conference. Now we know.

“They have become the Nazi party with Boris mimicking Adolf and dissolving the legislature because it is an inconvenience. The last time this happened in England, Charles lost his head after a long civil war.”

The comments have been branded as “disregardful” with high profile parliamentary candidate and former cabinet member Michael Gove taking to twitter to raise his concerns about the post.

Mr Gove wrote: “This is concerning - the unique horrors of the nineteen thirties and forties should not be invoked in this way - I do hope @AlPinkerton and other Surrey Heath colleagues make clear this is not appropriate.”

Sherborne St. John ward councillor for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Cllr Tristian Robinson also chimed in adding: “Disgraceful comments made by the Basingstoke Lib Dem candidate! Will the leader of Basingstoke Lib Dems condemn?”

However, Mr Mylvaganam initially denied that he said anything to compare Mr Johnson to “evil” but admitted that the Liberal Democrats had put an apology statement out from a fellow Lib Dem councillor who had written the original post.

Mr Mylvaganam said: “I have no idea what they are talking about.

“What they are saying is absolutely not correct, I did not. Why on any planet would I want to call liken Boris to evil? I never said it.”

He added: “it is nothing to do with Boris Johnson. It was an internal article. It has nothing to do with the Tory party.

“We have deleted it, and we have apologised for it unreservedly.”