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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Brendan Hughes

Far-right activist living in Northern Ireland Jayda Fransen comes last in Wakefield by-election

A far-right activist living in Northern Ireland has come last in the Westminster by-election for Wakefield.

Jayda Fransen, who lives in the North Down constituency, received just 23 votes in Thursday's poll - a 0.08% share of the votes cast.

The former deputy leader of far-right group Britain First stood as an independent in the by-election, which saw Labour win back the MP seat it lost to the Conservatives in 2019.

READ MORE: Jayda Fransen handed community service for stirring up hatred towards Muslims in NI

It was her lowest vote in a Westminster by-election to date, having previously stood unsuccessfully in three other snap constituency polls over the years.

Ms Fransen came last out of a total of 15 candidates in the Wakefield by-election.

In 2019, Ms Fransen was found guilty of stirring up hatred towards Muslims over a speech she made at a rally in Belfast and separate comments at a peace wall in the city.

The far-right activist, then aged 33, who gave an address in Donaghadee, Co Down, was sentenced to 180 hours of community service.

Ms Fransen was also in the spotlight in 2017 when then US president Donald Trump shared on Twitter a number of her inflammatory tweets which made claims about Muslims.

The Conservative Party suffered a double-defeat on Thursday night after losing two by-elections, with Labour winning Wakefield and the Liberal Democrats overturning a huge Tory majority in Tiverton and Honiton.

Conservative co-chair Oliver Dowden resigned following the losses, saying that party supporters were "distressed and disappointed" and "somebody must take responsibility".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who survived a no-confidence vote earlier this month after coming under pressure over the Downing Street 'partygate' controversy, said he will "keep going".

The Conservative leader insisted the cost-of-living crisis was the most important issue for voters and it is "true that, in mid-term, governments post-war lose by-elections".

"We've got to recognise there is more we've got to do and we certainly will," he said, speaking in Rwanda where he is at a Commonwealth summit.

"We will keep going, addressing the concerns of people until we get through this patch."

The Wakefield by-election was triggered following the resignation of Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

It later emerged DUP MP Jim Shannon had written a letter to the court supporting an anonymity application by Khan.

Mr Shannon has since said he was "unaware" of the charge facing Khan when he wrote the letter, adding that he believed it was a bullying complaint.

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