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Suspended Labour candidate wins by-election

Gina MillsonLancashire political reporter
LDRS/JACKIE RAWSTRON An image of political canvassers with Jackie Rawstron in the middle, holding up vote Labour signs. She is wearing dark sunglasses and carrying a white stick. The MP for Hyndburn Sarah Smith is pictured to the left of the image smiling. There are eight other people in the image.LDRS/JACKIE RAWSTRON
Jackie Rawstron has previously been the women's officer for Labour's Hyndburn branch

A Labour party candidate that is currently suspended by the party has won a by-election.

Voters in Hyndburn have elected Jackie Rawstron as councillor for the Huncoat ward following the death of long-standing Labour councillor Dave Parkins.

The campaign was not without controversy after Reform UK county councillor Joel Tetlow called the visually impaired candidate a "Stevie Wonder lookalike" online prompting condemnation, only for some of her own social media posts to be made public of an alleged similar nature.

She was suspended by the Labour party during the campaign for an investigation to take place into those posts, but could not be removed as a candidate as this happened after she had been nominated.

'Astonishing'

Rawstron won with 318 votes, with Reform UK second on 275 and Restore Britain on 257, while the Conservatives took 74 votes.

The leader of Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe took to X after his party secured 28% of the vote to call the result "astonishing" and said: "we are going to take our country back."

In a statement Reform UK said: "The results in Hyndburn are clear: a vote for anyone other than Reform UK in Lancashire is a vote to keep Labour."

Councillor Munsif Dad, Labour leader of Hyndburn Borough Council said: " Reform and Restore can make plenty of noise, but they still haven't won this by-election, voters have seen through the slogans and chosen to reject them."

Rawstron remains suspended from the Labour party while the investigation is carried out and has been contacted for comment.

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