A Merseyside Reform UK election candidate who called the Holocaust a "hoax" and "propaganda" has been elected in the local elections. Jay Leslie Cooper has taken one of three available seats for the Bootle West ward on Sefton Council.

The newly elected Cllr Cooper secured 705 votes and will join two Labour councillors, Jim Conalty and Dan McKee, in representing the three-member ward.

Prior to the election, the ECHO revealed that Cllr Cooper had shared vile views on his social media accounts, including evidence of Holocaust denial.

In September last year Cooper reposted an article on Facebook about the fatal shooting of American political commentator Charlie Kirk with the accompanying headline: "Heartbreaking. Murdered for having an opinion."

In response to a comment which asked: "[Adolf] Hitler had an (opinion) too; did he deserve to die?", Cooper said: "I don't agree with him murdering innocent people. But the Hallocaust (sic) is a hoax. There wasn't (sic) even 6 million Jews in Europe at the time. Propaganda."