A pledge by the Liberal Democrats to give the public the final say on the Brexit deal will not alienate voters in Kent, insists one of the party’s leading figures in the county.

At the referendum last year all parts of the county, with the exception of Tunbridge Wells, voted to quit the EU.

The Liberal Democrats are making a second referendum on Brexit a central part of their manifesto, launched today.

The party promises to hold a referendum on the final EU exit deal.

It is also the only party to explicitly pledge for a general tax hike, saying it would put a penny on the income tax rate to raise more money for the NHS.

Anthony Hook, recently elected as a county councillor, said voters had been deceived by claims that leaving the EU would mean more money for the NHS and control over immigration.

“When you speak to voters, they genuinely believed that the NHS would benefit by £350m a week and they genuinely believed there would be control over immigration,” he said.

“When we get to 2020 when there is a definitive Brexit deal, people will see the NHS won’t be getting an extra £350m a week.”

On the pledge to hold a second referendum, he said: “It is a case of giving the public maximum power.”

The manifesto says the Lib Dems will “use our strength in parliament to press for keeping Britain as close as possible to Europe”.

That could be hard to sell in the county, which saw 59% of Kent residents voting to quit - in some areas by a significant margin.

Tunbridge Wells was the only area to vote remain, with 35,676 votes compared to 28,320 to leave.

Mr Hook, who represents Faversham on KCC, also defended the party’s efforts to reach out to younger voters, after a long-standing backlash over its U-turn on student fees when the party was in coalition.

“Tim Farron and the party voted against the rise in tuition fees,” he said.

ANALYSIS

The Liberal Democrats face arguably an equal challenge to Labour in Kent - how to offer a creditable alternative to the Conservatives.

Its strategy of presenting itself as the only pro-European party is hard to sell in a county where UKIP planted its flag so firmly in recent years.

So, it is unlikely to spring any surprises in Kent seats and may choose to measure its progress by an increase in vote share.

It is focusing heavily on Maidstone and The Weald, as it did last time round, but despite a good campaign saw the Conservative majority increase.

Its candour in proposing a tax hike may be honourable but might not win over floating voters.