A Labour Parliamentary candidate has been accused of making false statements about her Liberal Democrat opponent in a letter sent to constituents.

Catherine West, who is standing for Labour in Hornsey and Wood Green, sent a letter to residents claiming: “Lynne Featherstone was even a minister in the Home Office when the ‘Go Home’ vans were sent out’.

But at the time the vans were sent out, in July 2013, Lynne Featherstone was in the Department for International Development working on a campaign to end female genital mutilation (FGM).

She was also a minister at the DFID from September 2012 and November 2014.

Labour have been asked to stop delivering the letters and issue a retraction to all those who have received it.

The Liberal Democrats have also threatened the party with legal action.

In a statement, Lynne Featherstone said: “Today, many residents received a letter from the Labour party – which contains false information.

“In it they say I was the Home Office minister at the time of the ‘go home’ vans. This is not true.

“My team and I are very upset with the lies and the desperate smears, which are being sent out by the local Labour campaign.

“Just to be clear - at the time the vans went out, July 2013, I was in the Department for International Development, kick-starting the campaign to end FGM and fighting to protect the aid budget.

“Had I been in the Home Office at this time – those awful vans would not have happened.

“As you know, I have been running a unity campaign here in Haringey, and have always been relentlessly positive about the benefits of immigration.

“We’re so upset by the lies, that we’ve decided we have to take action. I don’t believe politics and elections should be conducted like this. That’s why we’ve asked Labour to stop delivering the letter and issue a retraction to everyone who received it.”

In a statement, the Labour group said: “A letter was delivered saying Lynne Featherstone was a Home Office minister at the time the "Go Home" vans were sent out in July 2013.

“The local Labour Party now accept that while Lynne Featherstone was a minister in the Coalition Government in July 2013 she was not a minister at the Home Office at that particular time.”