A UNIVERSITY student who campaigned with Boris Johnson’s girlfriend claims it is harder to come out as a Conservative than gay.

Rhys Benjamin, who lives in Brighton, says he has had few major problems as a homosexual at the University of Sussex.

But he says he is “constantly ostracised” because of his political views – with some people even refusing to talk to him again.

The politics undergraduate has been pictured out and about in the community with Carrie Symonds, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s partner.

He also champions LGBT issues but says the two subjects rarely overlap – claiming he is one of just two gay Conservatives on campus.

He told student news site The Tab: “I can only speak for myself.

“I believe it depends where you are in the country and your social environment as to whether it is harder being gay or being a Tory.

“As someone who is both, on campus it’s much harder socially believing in low taxation than it is to fancy men.

“It’s obviously the other way round in less diverse parts of the country.

“You end up having to paint two versions of yourself – one as a Conservative, one as a gay man. The two hardly ever overlap.

“It’s absolutely fantastic that we have such a diverse campus whereby there are very few incidents of homophobia.

“But the fact that I am constantly ostracised by many on campus because of my political stances is surely not a good thing to open up debate and ideas.

“It’s a sad state of affairs that I often try to avoid questions on Brexit, the economy, our NHS and so on, because of these negative reactions.

“I’m not rich, I don’t play polo at weekends, I’m just an ordinary gay bloke.”

Rhys said the Conservative Party was very different to the one many people perceive it to be, particularly on LGBT issues.

He said: “The Conservative Party isn’t the party of Norman Tebbit and Ann Widdecombe any more, it’s the party who legalised marriage equality and in 2015 won the LGBT vote for the first time.

“But you’ve only got to look at the student press to see wave upon wave of articles about how ‘evil’ we are, ‘traitors’ to LGBT people, and just how few young people want to admit they’re voting Conservative.

“As far as I am aware, there is only one other openly gay Tory on campus, out of about 18,000 students.

“I’m sure there are more, but the fact there are only two publicly gay Tories including myself is not good.”