UKIP’s candidate in Eastleigh has apologised after mistakenly saying a Liberal Democrat candidate contracted HIV on purpose.
Patricia Culligan had posted a message on social media site Twitter in response to a Daily Mail article about Paul Childs, a candidate in Liverpool.
It said “2nd Lib Dem candidate reveals he deliberately became HIV positive yet free NHS care v costly”, but Mr Childs had not intentionally contracted the illness.
Ms Culligan posted an apology on Twitter, and described her message as a “misunderstanding”, adding: “It wasn’t to do with the particular illness it was to do with the issue of NHS tourism.
“Most of my career has been in social care and I have done a lot of care with people with HIV, so for anyone to say I am anti-gay is preposterous.
“I misunderstood the article, so for that I apologise and I am cross to have done that.”
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