WITH the election race entering its final leg, taxes – and sausage rolls – were on the menu as a top Conservative dropped in on a key Southampton seat.

William Hague took to Bitterne Precinct yesterday to talk to residents and back his party’s candidate for Southampton Itchen, Royston Smith.

During the walkabout the former party leader was ambushed by UKIP candidate Kim Rose, who attempted to hand over four sausage rolls in a “political statement”, which Mr Hague declined.

Mr Rose, who is standing against Mr Smith in Itchen, was recently investigated over allegations of “bribing” potential voters with the savoury snacks, but police took no further action.

TUSC’s Sue Atkins, Labour’s Rowenna Davis, Green John Spottiswoode and Liberal Democrat Eleanor Bell are the other candidates standing for the marginal seat.

Mr Hague visited the market at Bitterne Precinct after his party pledged to legislate for a “triple lock” curbing any rise in VAT, income tax and National Insurance if they win the election on May 7.

He said the plans, which would see the party legislate to prevent rises in the three taxes, would be introduced “to show people that this is what would really happen and to make it very difficult to change”. “People need certainty this would happen. People are always quite sceptical about political promises and this shows it is certain there would be no increase in VAT, national insurance and income tax.

“This is the benefit of turning the economy around and halving the deficit that we can make a commitment like that.”

Labour and the Lib Dems had attacked the move as a “gimmick” and Labour claimed families would be cost up to £2,000 by Conservative tax credit rate reductions.

Labour leader Ed Miliband accused the Tories of a £3.8 billion raid on tax credits for the lower-paid, suggesting the changes could cost a family with one child £1,600 when their income goes over £23,000 and those with two children £2,000 if they earn over £29,000.

His Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, added: “They have obviously decided to do this last-minute gimmick because they are losing the argument.

“These promises from David Cameron are two a penny. I think there is a good phrase in the English language – ‘once bitten, twice shy’ – people were bitten very hard by David Cameron.”

But Mr Hague, the Leader of the House who is retiring as an MP, said: “The Labour figures are nonsense and this is because they are assuming they are making bigger reductions in spending than we would have to make.

“With Labour, they would put taxes up to give some of it back to families as tax credits.

“We would freeze working age benefits including child working tax credits and we have brought inflation down to zero.”

A Lib Dem spokesman described the tax proposals as “yet another gimmick from David Cameron to deflect attention from the fact that the Tories have abandoned the plan followed by the coalition and instead want to slash and burn support for millions of families”.

UKIP’s finance spokesman, Patrick O’Flynn, said: “We have looked closely at the Conservative costings on their tax pledges and they only come close to working if the National Insurance ceiling continues to rise in line with the higher rate threshold for income tax.”

He added: “As things stand voters are at grave risk of being sold a false fiscal prospectus.”