Green Party wins Cliftonville by-election called after councillor jailed

The Green Party has won a Kent County Council by-election, which was called after the serving councillor was jailed. Daniel Taylor, 35, from Margate, was given a 12-month prison sentence in February after he admitted to behaving in a controlling or coercive way towards his wife. Reform suspended the councillor shortly after he won the Cliftonville division for the party at the local elections in 2025. He sat as an independent until his sentencing. Voters cast their ballots on Thursday to select Taylor's replacement, giving the Greens' Rob Yates nearly 39% of the vote. Yates, 39, is an offshore wind farmer and represented Labour on Thanet District Council until September 2025, when he defected to the Greens. Of his victory, he said: "This result shows that across Kent and across the country the Greens are the antidote to Reform." Kent County Council's Green Group leader, Mark Hood, said the result was "seismic" for Kent and for the country. "Reform lost this seat after less than a year due to their dismal record of failure, chaos and managed decline running Kent County Council," he said. "The defeat is a major embarrassment for Nigel Farage." Reform won control of Kent County Counci