The Green Party’s candidate in the upcoming Makerfield by-election has dropped out just hours after being officially announced.
On Thursday morning, the party posted on social media: “Say hello to Chris Kennedy - Safeguarding Nurse, battle-tested Green Campaigner, Passionate Grassroots Visionary and your Green Party candidate for Makerfield.”
However, later the same afternoon Mr Kennedy withdrew from the contest for “personal and family reasons”.
The Times later reported that he had shared posts describing an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances in north London as a “false flag” operation.
An Instagram video described the arrests of two men over the attack in Golders Green as “total bulls**t to keep the false flag flying”.
Another post Mr Kennedy shared about the March 23 incident said the police response made “no sense”.
The posts have since been deleted.
A Green Party spokesman said Mr Kennedy “apologises for the offence caused”.
Andy Burnham has been confirmed as Labour’s candidate in the by-election and he is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership if he wins.
His main competition will be local plumber and Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon, who stood in the constituency during the general election.
The Greater Manchester Mayor said he was “humbled” to have been selected, adding that working-class communities in the constituency had been let down by national politics.
Voters in Makerfield will go to the polls to select their new MP on June 18.
A Green Party spokesperson said: “We wish Chris the best and understand that family has to come first.
“As a party, we are re-opening nominations now because we believe people in Makerfield deserve a real choice at this by-election, and the Green Party will be standing to offer exactly that.
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“Across the country, more and more voters are turning away from the old parties and looking for politicians who will genuinely stand up for their communities.
“We will also be redoubling our efforts on campaigning to expose the risk of Reform, a party who seeks to divide our communities.
“This election has to be about how to make the super-rich pay their fair share, how we tackle the cost-of-living crisis with lower bills and affordable housing, and how we protect our public services and our green spaces. It has to be about offering Makerfield hope over hate.”
Despite the possibility of a leadership challenge, the Prime Minister said he would support Mr Burnham’s campaign in the by-election, adding that he wanted the “whole Labour movement” to be involved.
Asked whether he would be out campaigning in Makerfield, Sir Keir said: “Yes, and I’ve said to the whole Labour movement that I want everybody to be involved in the campaign, whatever other discussions are going on, it’s really important – that’s a straight fight between Labour and Reform.
“It’s about the values that we take into politics, and it’s really important that we all pull together and fight in that by-election, as we will do.”