WESTMORLAND and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has responded to criticism over the wage offered in a Liberal Democrat job advertisement by clarifying that the role on offer is a "paid internship".

Mr Farron attracted scorn after the job advertisement for a constituency campaigns assistant was circulated on Twitter, offering an annual salary of £15,104.

The role stated that the successful candidate would need to have a car, and would be expected to work on some weekends and evenings.

One Twitter user said: "I thought the Liberal Democrats were for better pay? This is quite a depressing salary really."

Another said: "You want your staff to be living in poverty. And they have to have a car, work evenings, and weekends. I like you, but there's nothing Liberal about that!"

Speaking to the Gazette, Mr Farron said: "There has been a misunderstanding about this.

"This is a temporary position, for a six month paid internship. Most MPs do not pay their interns anything at all. I am one of only a few MPs who pay work experience interns.

"I often think that the only people in parliament posher than the MPs are the MPs' researchers, and that is because you can only get work for may MPs if you work for free in London. You can only do that if you have rich parents.

"It is a moral outrage to pay below minimum wage, let alone nothing, for young people's work. I do not do that. When you live in a place like we do, to pay less than minimum wage is a disgrace.

"What I am offering here is like an apprenticeship, and we are paying three times what apprenticeships pay."

Previously, Mr Farron has run campaigns to increase the minimum wage.

He also criticised the national living wage introduced by former Chancellor George Osbourne as a "con".