A Conservative parliamentary candidate has been ridiculed after he apparently suggested that voters should not consider themselves working class if they drink Costa Coffee.
Antony Calvert, who is standing as the Tory candidate for Wakefield, came under fire after describing an angry encounter he experienced with a voter outside the city’s train station.
“Man recognises me at Wakefield Westgate. ‘These f***** Tories, always looking to trample on t’working class, like me.’ Man walks into Costa,” Mr Calvert tweeted.
The post attracted derision from critics on social media who accused Mr Calvert of suggesting that working class people should not buy from the coffee chain.
His opponent Mary Creagh, who is defending the Wakefield seat for Labour, accused him of “sneering” at working class voters.
She wrote: “This sneering tweet sums up why Wakefield Tory candidate doesn’t deserve your vote. #StandWithMary.”
In response to Mr Calvert’s tweet, student Andrew Weatherhead tweeted: “Working class not allowed to visit Costa?”
One Twitter user said: “This tweet says more about you than it does about them,” while another wrote: “Is Costa only reserved for the middle class?”
Zarina Kapasi said: "By tweeting this you have just proved his point. You should teach How To Be Entitled and Elitist 101."
Sam Aaron-Butler posted: “Why shouldn’t the working class enjoy coffee?”
In reply, another Twitter user posting under the name Law Turley, wrote: “Sssh. We’re not allowed coffee. Only pies and ale.”
Ms Creagh has been MP for Wakefield since 2005 and beat Mr Calvert to retain the seat in the 2015 General Election with a majority of 2,613 votes.
The Standard has approached Mr Calvert for comment.
