Scotland's only Conservative MP has been invited to distribute food parcels alongside the community volunteer whose views on welfare reform he questioned.

Yesterday, junior Scotland Office minister David Mundell said evidence of hardship in his own constituency should be taken "with a pinch of salt" as it was provided by independence campaigner Mark Frankland.

Mr Frankland, a poverty, drugs and veterans volunteer at Dumfries-based charity First Base, has now invited Mr Mundell to follow the example of South of Scotland SNP MSP Joan McAlpine and join him distributing food parcels.

Mr Frankland said: "I would be more than happy for David to come along and do the same.

"I think if he spends a day chatting to the folk we see and getting the food parcels I don't think he would take what we say with a pinch of salt at the end of the day."

He added: "I think it was a remarkably silly thing to say. To assume that for some reason the real story behind our food parcels is different and that we are trying to cover up the real reason just because I happen to be a supporter of the Yes campaign I think is quite frankly ludicrous."

Mr Mundell's comments are the latest and most high-profile example of a unionist backlash against First Base in recent years, according to Mr Frankland.

Unionist councillors stopped answering pleas for assistance when Mr Frankland declared his support for Yes despite a range of political views amongst its board and staff, he said.

However, Mr Frankland said he has a good working relationship with Mr Mundell's Labour opponent at the general election - councillor and veterans' champion Archie Dryburgh - despite their political differences.

"This is the first time it's been so recognisable but if I had a client coming in with a particular problem, for years there were certain councillors I could call, leave a message and they would help my client," he said.

"Since the start of the independence campaign I don't get a call back any more a lot of the time, which really angers me because they're not getting at me they're getting at our clients.

"These are some of the most disadvantaged people you will find who need every bit of help they can get, so for the calls not to be returned just because I was a Yes supporter I find really disappointing."

He added: "First Base has a management committee, staff, volunteers, lots of clients, and to question us as a charity just because one of the managers was a Yes supporter I think is wrong.

"I would never ask them, but if I was to guess I think there would be quite a strong No majority on our management committee. We have a very senior solicitor, a chief pharmacist, I am an individual but we are all 100% front-line.

"At one end of the chain you have Iain Duncan Smith (Work and Pensions Secretary) announcing a new policy, and we are right at the other end of the chain watching how it pans out in practice.

"I think that information should always be passed on, as does our management committee."

A recent survey found 24% of benefit claimants have been verbally abused in the last year and 8% have been physically attacked, he said.

"It's important for us to even out that story and say 'this is reality'. So many people need a food parcel.

"They're not bad people, they're not shirkers."

Speaking at Holyrood's Welfare Reform Committee yesterday, Ms McAlpine cited evidence provided by First Base that benefit claimants have been sanctioned because they had no access to broadband.

Mr Mundell said: "It won't surprise you to know that I take what Mr Frankland said with a pinch of salt.''

He added: ''I think Mark has done a lot of very good work, particularly with drug users, but having been a very, very prominent Yes campaigner I don't think we could necessarily take everything he says as totally objective."