The Green Party's newly selected Makerfield by-election candidate has withdrawn just hours after being announced, following scrutiny of social media posts in which he reportedly called an arson attack on Jewish ambulances in north London a 'false flag' operation.
Chris Kennedy, a registered nurse and child safeguarding specialist, was selected as the party's candidate on Thursday morning but withdrew from the contest by early evening.
The party said his departure was for 'personal and family reasons', but it has since emerged that questions were raised about a series of posts shared by Mr Kennedy online.
According to reports in The Times, Mr Kennedy had circulated an Instagram video referring to the arrests of two men over the Golders Green ambulance arson incident as 'total bulls*** to keep the false flag flying'.
He is also said to have reshared material from a user described as a 'proud ethno-nationalist', which questioned the official response to the attack.
A false flag operation is a covert act intended to mislead the public or authorities by making an event appear to have been carried out by a different individual, group, or nation, often to shift blame, shape public opinion, or justify political or military action.
A Green Party spokesperson said the posts did not reflect the party's views and confirmed they had been discussed with Mr Kennedy.
'These posts don't reflect the views of The Green Party,' the spokesperson said. 'We have spoken to Chris about these posts, and he has now deleted them. He apologises for the offence caused.'
Chris Kennedy, a registered nurse and child safeguarding specialist, was selected as the party's candidate
Mr Kennedy reportedly circulated an Instagram video referring to the arrests of two men over the Golders Green ambulance arson incident as 'total bulls*** to keep the false flag flying'
Kennedy also shared a post by Hugh Anthony, who describes himself as a 'proud ethno-nationalist', that said the response to the arson attack in Golders Green on March 23 made 'no sense'.
Anthony wrote: 'How does someone manage to burn 3 ambulances, get the entire country in uproar, make the government put 264 more police units into the community, make the King become a patron of a charity, and increase the terror threat level in the UK, only to be put on bail? This makes no sense.'
The party reiterated that his withdrawal stood, adding that nominations would be reopened so a replacement candidate could be selected ahead of polling day.
The rapid collapse of the candidacy comes amid a wider political backdrop in which the Greens had been positioning themselves for a high-profile contest in Makerfield, a seat viewed as a key battleground between Reform and Labour.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski had previously described Reform UK as the central threat in the contest, arguing the party 'seeks to divide our communities rather than uniting them'.
He has framed the election as an opportunity to challenge what he called the 'status quo' in Westminster politics.
The by-election itself was triggered after Labour MP Josh Simons stepped down, creating a route for a contest that had already been expected to draw national attention.
Kennedy's brief campaign launch had earlier focused on cost-of-living pressures, public services and housing, with the candidate saying voters deserved 'real support' and pledging policies on 'warmer homes, lower bills, and a fairer economy'.
Four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service operating in the Golders Green area of north-west London, were set on fire (pictured) in the early hours of March 23
It caused gas canisters stored in the vehicles (pictured, in the aftermath) to explode
The Greens said at the time of his withdrawal that they wished him well and understood 'family has to come first', while insisting the party would continue its efforts in the constituency.
A party spokesperson said: 'We believe people in Makerfield deserve a real choice at this by-election, and the Green Party will be standing to offer exactly that.'
The Green party said previously: '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.
'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.'
Nominations for a replacement candidate will open tomorrow and a selection meeting is planned for Monday evening.
The Green Party have been contacted for comment