A crunch council by-election took place on the coast of Kent this week after a former councillor was jailed back in February.The mid-term contest in Cliftonville, Margate was triggered after ex-councillor Daniel Taylor was handed a 12-month jail sentence for controlling behaviour towards his wife.Taylor was initially elected as a Reform UK councillor but was expelled from the party after he pleaded guilty to the charges laid against him. Now, after eight weeks of campaigning, the Greens were victorious – with its new councillor saying the win was a “victory for hope, not hate”.
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Mr Yates took home 38.8 per cent of the vote share, tripling his party’s success with a substantial 26.7 per cent at the coastal poll.The councillor said: “This result shows that across Kent and across the country the Greens are the antidote to Reform.”Leader of Kent County Council’s Green Group, Mark Hood, said the “seismic” result was a “major embarrassment” for Mr Farage. He said: “Reform lost this seat after less than a year due to their dismal record of failure, chaos and managed decline running Kent County Council.”Coming second, Reform UK’s Marc Rattigan snatched up 33.1 per cent, dropping by seven per cent from Reform’s success at last year’s round of elections.At the last election, Mr Farage’s party secured 40 per cent of the Cliftonville vote, securing a majority of 867. Meanwhile, the Conservatives’ vote fell some 4.5 per cent to 15.2 per cent of the vote. In the same round, Labour’s vote share for the local seat halved as they nabbed some 10.4 per cent of the vote and fell into fourth place.POLITICS LATEST:Rachel Reeves’s tax rates put people off work as £100k threshold raids workers’ pockets, report saysShabana Mahmood told to tear up ‘21,600-in, 498-out’ deal as GB News exposes £100m French ‘farce’Keir Starmer holds call with Donald Trump just hours after saying he was ‘fed up’ with USRESULTS IN FULL:Green Party – Rob Yates: 38.8 per centReform UK – Marc Rattigan: 33.1 per centConservative Party – Charlie Leys: 15.2 per centLabour Party – Joanne Bright: 10.4 per centIndependent – Lucy Gray: 1.3 per centLiberal Democrats – Mo Shafaei: 1.2 per centThe turnout was 37.69 per cent.The results have followed a hotly-contested seat with its election even being compared to the likes of a parliamentary contest with dozens of activists’ pouring resources into the race.Over the past eight weeks, big hitters from Reform UK and the Green Party have also paid the seaside town a visit in a bid to sway voters.For instance, earlier on the campaign trail, Newark MP Robert Jenrick spoke to local residents, urging them to “send a strong message to Keir Starmer that they are sick of Labour”.He also stressed the election was a chance to highlight their worries about the increasing challenges posed by the number of illegal migrants making the illegal crossing from northern France into Kent.And, in a last-minute appearance on the day before Britons headed to the polls, Mr Polanski joined his candidate, Mr Yates, to canvass voters.Speaking at a local Margate pub, Mr Polanski addressed hundreds of supporters, declaring the “knife edge” battle was between the Green Party and Reform.He stressed Mr Yates’s love for the local area, and encouraged voters to support someone who would “stand up for their area”.But Mr Polanski was not the only familiar face on the campaign trail, with ex-leader Caroline Lucas paying the locals a visit in the run-up too.Meanwhile, the Labour Party’s Joanne Bright was supported by MP Dame Emily Thornberry, while the Conservative candidate Charlie Leys was backed by ex-Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay.
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