Tommy Robinson did so badly in the European elections he lost his £5,000 deposit The far-right activist finished with only 2.2 per cent of the vote

The far-right activist and former leader of the English Defence League, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – who is known as Tommy Robinson – failed in his bid to be elected as an MEP.

The activist, who is a political adviser to the UKIP leader Gerard Batten, finished so far adrift from the chasing pack in the North West England region that he will lose his £5,000 deposit.

Laughed out of the count

Yaxley-Lennon’s 2.2 per cent of the vote was in stark contrast to his pre-election boast that he would “walk into Brussels like Conor McGregor”.

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The activist, who has also claimed to be on the crest of an international movement which helped elect Donald Trump to the US presidency, also sneaked out of the election count in central Manchester barely an hour after he had arrived, reported the Guardian.

The candidate was also met with laughter when his name was read out at the count.

Anti-racism group Hope Not Hate celebrated his defeat and thanked “everyone who voted and took a stand against Robinson’s hateful and divisive rhetoric”.

In a video posted before the full results were declared, Yaxley-Lennon blamed his ban from social media (something he put down to a government conspiracy) for his defeat.

He told reporters at the count in Manchester, “Trump won his campaign on social media. Brexit was won on social media. I’m banned from social media.

“So my ability to fight a fair campaign is gone, orchestrated and organised by the government. I feel like I have been fighting with my hands tied behind my back.”

Shadow Foreign Secretary and senior Labour politician, Emily Thornberry, described Yaxley-Lennon’s defeat as “the one piece of good news” and branded him a “nasty little man”.

Brexit party strong in North West

The region Yaxley-Lennon stood in finished the night with three Brexit Party MEPs, two Liberal Democrat and Labour MEPs, and one Green MEP, reflecting the divided results across the country.

Other controversial candidates, including Carl Benjamin, who was standing for UKIP in the South West and had previously been lambasted for saying he “wouldn’t even rape” Labour MP Jess Phillips, also failed to get elected.

Former Labour cabinet minister, Lord Adonis, missed out on his bid to become an MEP in the South West region, while Rachel Johnson – sister of Tory leadership hopeful Boris – also missed out after standing under the Change UK banner.

UKIP leader Gerard Batten lost his seat in London.

This article originally appeared on our sister site, the Lancashire Evening Post