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.”