Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleChris Kennedy, the Green Party's candidate for the Makerfield by-election, withdrew from the race just hours after his announcement, initially citing "personal and family reasons." His withdrawal followed reports that he had shared social media posts, including one describing an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London as a "false flag" and another from a self-described "ethno-nationalist" questioning the response to the Golders Green arson attack. The Green Party confirmed that Mr Kennedy had deleted the posts and apologised for the offence caused, stating that the views expressed did not reflect the party's stance. The party is now reopening nominations for a replacement candidate, with a selection meeting scheduled for Monday evening, emphasising their commitment to offering voters a choice in the by-election. This incident contributes to ongoing accusations of antisemitism against the Green Party, following a recent apology from a Jewish party leader for sharing criticism of the police and Labour's claims about 25 Green local election candidates holding "disturbing views." In fullGreen by-election candidate – who quit after just 12 hours – apologises for Jewish ambulance attack postThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Chris Kennedy was announced this morning, posed for pictures early this afternoon, but had dropped out by early evening for what the party said were 'personal and family reasons'.

Chris Kennedy, a children's safeguarding specialist, said he was 'proud' to have been elected to stand on June 18 in a vote by members.