Shneur Odze, UKIP’s strictly Orthodox candidate for Mayor of Manchester, has explained why he burned what he believed was a missionary work masquerading as a Hebrew Bible.

The Mail Online reported he had set fire to the book after finding it in a synagogue but had subsequently removed pictures of doing so on social media.

According to the paper, Mr Odze had tweeted he was “grateful to whoever put a missionary Bible amongst our synagogue’s books. Was wondering what I’d burn my Chametz with.”

Mr Odze told the JC the book had been “cynically done” to appear as a Chumash or Bible.

“We live in a free, democratic, open country and I respect that, “he said. “Proselytising is a legitimate pursuit so long as you are not misleading people.”

But he stressed, “I would never burn a Christian Bible”.

He said he had removed his Twitter post because “it is not a Bible.”

According to the Mail, UKIP stated that while understanding Mr Odze’s action, “ it was ill-advised to put a picture of it on social media which was also provocative and likely to be misunderstood”.

He told the newspaper that “it was no more a Bible than a Beano wrapped in the cover of the Mail on Sunday is a newspaper”.