22:47

The Liberal Democracts are certainly the cheeriest party in Manchester. They think they’ve won two seats of the eight seats in the north-west, with Labour and the Brexit party are thought to have got two apiece. The Tories are believed to have lost a seat, leaving them with one, while the Greens are thought to have taken the final seat.

“It looks like it’s been a very good night,” said Jackie Pearcey, the Lib Dems’ north-west chair, who was a councillor in Manchester for 21 years, adding that the party now had more members than she could recall in the party’s history. “In the north-west it shows that we’re back and we’re on the road to recovery.”

A volunteer counter takes a break during the European Parliamentary elections count at the Central Convention Complex in Manchester. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

The Brexit party candidates – former Revolutionary Communist member Claire Fox, dentist Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, and TV doctor David Bull – looked very pleased but gave little away when asked for their predictions.

Meanwhile,Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, has just arrived – late – at the north-west count and immediately launched into a turbo-charged rant to journalists about how he had not won because he is banned from most social media platforms. (Note: The results aren’t in yet).

“Trump won his campaign on social media; Brexit was won on social media. I’m banned from social media,” he said. “So my ability to fight a fair campaign was gone. It was orchestrated and organised by the government.”

Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) Tommy Robinson complains he's lost because he's banned from most social media #EuropeanElections2019 pic.twitter.com/tkR4JGvzcx

The anti-Islam activist then stormed off to a meeting with the returning officer, refusing to speak to a Channel 4 News journalist who he told: “Channel 4 News? Fake news - you’re the worst!”

Yaxley-Lennon’s late arrival actually held up the declaration of the result for Manchester - all other candidates were in a meeting with the returning officer when he eventually turned up.

