A PARLIAMENTARY candidate has accused his rival of “double standards” over the Dartford Crossing.

Dartford’s Labour candidate John Adams says Lib Dem candidate James Willis’s desire to abolish the tolls is at odds with his party’s manifesto.

Mr Willis has campaigned against Labour’s plans to sell the crossing as he believes any sale would end hopes of removing the tolls.

But the Lib Dem manifesto states: “Funding could be raised from the sell-off of the student loan book or the Tote as the government has already proposed. In addition borrowing could be secured against or raised from government-owned assets such as the Dartford Crossing”.

Mr Adams said: “That statement means the tolls would stay under the Lib Dems and even some kind of privatisation couldn't be ruled out. We in the Dartford Labour Party are all pretty angered by the double standards here.”

Mr Willis said: “The Lib Dems are the only major party which want to keep the crossing in public hands.

“Yes the tolls will stay, but if it's in public hands we will always be in a position to negotiate the tolls.”

Conservative leader David Cameron has said he cannot guarantee the crossing would stay under government ownership if he was elected.

The party’s Dartford candidate Gareth Johnson says he is against selling the crossing.

Mr Johnson, who wants to get rid of the tolls, said: “If the crossing were to be sold it would make scrapping the tolls almost an impossible dream to realise.”