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A Conservative who sparked outrage when she appeared to suggest people with learning difficulties could work for less than the minimum wage has been elected as an MP.

Sally-Ann Hart, whose opinion was branded "outdated" and "inexcusable" by disability campaigners, picked up nearly 50% of the vote in Hastings and Rye, meaning she will take her place in Parliament.

The Tory, who replaces former Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, is also facing two party investigations over alleged Islamophobia and anti-Semitism - but Prime Minister Boris Johnson opted not to suspend her.

Ms Hart won 26,896 votes in the south coast constituency, giving her a 4,043 majority over Labour's Peter Chowney.

Last week, Ms Hart sparked uproar after she appeared to back a plan to let people with learning disabilities work for less than the minimum wage.

She said: "It is about having a therapeutic exemption... it's to do with the happiness they have about working."

(Image: Lee Floyd B3214 / Avalon)

To shouts of "how dare you!" and swearing she continued: "Some people with learning difficulties, they don't understand about money.

"It is about having a therapeutic exemption and the article was in support of employing people with learning disabilities. That's what it was."

But Labour branded the views "hateful" and her rival fumed it was "disgraceful".

The remarks sparked a row at a heated election hustings in ultra-marginal seat Hastings & Rye. James Taylor of disability equality charity Scope said: “These opinions are outdated, inexcusable, and should be consigned to history.

“Disabled people should be paid equally for the work that they do.

"Ms Hart gave a half-hearted apology "if" anyone was offended - but insisted her remarks were taken out of context and "I did not say anyone should be paid less".

(Image: Lee Floyd B3214 / Avalon)

A screenshot circulating online claims Ms Hart shared a Spectator article on Facebook in 2017, entitled "Why people with learning disabilities should be allowed to work for less than minimum wage", with the caption: "This is so right".

The article was written by Rosa Monckton, whose daughter has Down's Syndrome and who founded a charity in 2016 to help young people with learning disabilities into employment.

In the article, Ms Monckton argued work helps give people a "fulfilling and purposeful life" but "employers are not charities, and it is difficult for them to employ people if their output amounts to a loss".

She also sparked anger after a post shared on her Facebook wall in 2017 was revealed, in which a blog post by anti-Islam activist and author Cheri Berens was described as an “affecting read".

The blog she commented on argued the Women’s March against Trump in America had been used to promote the “Muslim agenda” in the US.

It also claimed the Muslim Brotherhood had hijacked the movement to promote pro life causes - because they wanted American women to have abortions to limit the non-Muslim population.

Separately Ms Hart was under investigation after she shared a video in 2017 which implied Jewish philanthropist George Soros controls the EU.

Mr Johnson has claimed his party operates a zero tolerance policy on Islamophobia - and those found to have discriminated against people would be "out first bounce".

A Conservative Party spokesman told the Guardian: “Sally Ann Hart is under investigation and these comments will form part of that investigation.

“Our complaints process is rightly a confidential one but there are a wide range of sanctions to challenge and change behaviour, including conditions to undertake training, periods of suspension and expulsion, and these are applied on a case-by-case basis.”