Chris Kennedy, the Green Party candidate for the Makerfield by-election, has withdrawn from the race just hours after being announced, following reports that he shared a claim describing an arson attack on Jewish ambulances as a “false flag”.
Mr Kennedy, a nurse and children’s safeguarding specialist, was named as the party’s candidate on Thursday morning but stepped down later that day, citing “personal and family reasons”. The Green Party confirmed his departure, stating it was reopening nominations for the seat.
According to The Times, Mr Kennedy posted an Instagram video in which he described the arrest of two men over the March attack on a Hatzola volunteer ambulance corps in Golders Green as “total bulls*** to keep the false flag flying”. He also reportedly shared a post by a user calling themselves a “proud ethno-nationalist”, which claimed the police response to the incident “made no sense”.
Counter-terror police had opened an investigation into the arson attack, which occurred on 23 March. A Green Party spokesperson said: “These posts don’t reflect the views of The Green Party. We have spoken to Chris about these posts, and he has now deleted them. He apologises for the offence caused.”
The by-election was triggered when Labour’s Josh Simons, the former MP, stepped down. Labour candidate Andy Burnham and Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon are standing in the contest. The Green Party said it would field a replacement candidate, with a selection meeting scheduled for Monday evening.
