A Labour mayoral candidate has been “banned from describing himself as ‘Dr’ on the ballot paper for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough combined authority mayoral election”.

NHS doctor Nik Johnson says he has not been allowed to describe as ‘Dr Nik Johnson’ ahead of next Thursday’s election.

Dr Johnson, who is a children’s doctor at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, has stood as ‘Dr Nik Johnson’ at two previous general elections, a county council election and a district council election.

Johnson’s team suspect that his opponents may have complained because they “know Dr Nik is a strong brand and recognition factor for the dad-of -three, who is a district councillor in St Neots”.

Dr Johnson said: “There has been no issues in four previous elections I have stood in as Dr Nik Johnson - but on this occasion I’ve been told I’ve got to dropped the ‘Dr’ prefix.

“I’m naturally disappointed because I worked hard to become a qualified doctor and it is part of me. It is part of my identity. I’ve been a doctor for thirty years. I’m proud of that fact.

“People know me as Doctor Nik - not Nik. It is who I am. I walk around and people shout ‘Dr Nik!’ It’s been this way for many years now.

“But for whatever reason for this election it’s very much a case of there being No doctor - or maybe that should be Doctor No! I must be described as plain ‘Nik Johnson’.”