Right-wing Britain First – Close the Borders lost out on the two seats it contested in Dartford.

The party was hoping to secure election in Darenth and Swanscombe wards but failed to convince voters, as the Conservatives retained overall control of the council.

The Tories, led by veteran councillor Jeremy Kite, secured 55.8% of the borough vote, winning 29 seats in total as most wards stayed the same.

Labour won 11, the Green Party one and Swanscombe & Greenhithe Residents’ Assocation one.

Britain First leader Paul Golding, who received just 107 votes, told KentOnline his plan to win a seat was tactical.

He said: “We have put in a really professional intensive campaign in Darenth ward as that was one of our national target wards

“I stood in Swanscombe, mainly to lure the hostility from our political opponents away from Darenth ward where our candidate was standing.

“The idea was to draw all the far-left extremist hostility away from him and it worked very well.

“There were multiple smear lealets put out against me in Swanscombe but there were none but out againt our candidate, Nicholas Scanlon, in Darenth.

“We didn’t put in much of a campaign in Swanscombe but I stood there to deflect attention away from our primary target ward, which was Darenth.”

Conservative candidate Paul Denman won Darenth while Swanscombe went to Labour’s Emma Ben Moussa, who was re-elected, and Claire Pearce.

Cllr Ben Moussa said: “I am completely over the moon and so grateful to the residents who voted for us,” she said.

“I have felt alone for the last four years but tried my best for the community I love. And now I know with Claire I have support and there is two voices to fight for what Swanscombe deserves.”

Labour leader Kelly Grehan, who secured herself a seat in Temple Hill, was delighted with her party’s success.

“The news of Labour’s success in Medway was great to wake up to. Hopefully the results of this election are showing the beginning of a new dawn for Labour in Kent,” she added.

Former Labour councillor Jonathon Hawkes won his seat back in Ebbsfleet after losing it at the last election. He will also be sharing the ward with Conservative Danny Nicklen, but didn’t think there would be a problem.

You are working in the interests of the residents so it works fine,” he said.Despite the few shared wards, the Conservatives hung onto power with councillor Jeremy Kite saying they would work happily alongside their Labour counterparts.

“I’m very pleased in Dartford. It’s been a good result here,” he said. “I’m disappointed for anyone who did not win in our wards.

“But this is a democracy and you work with what people want you to work with. Dealing with Labour colleagues is like dealing with colleagues.

“If they want to work with us we will work with them. We are trying very hard to put the resident at the centre of things and not the politics.”

While Conservatives up and down the country were losing seats, Dartford MP Gareth Johnson was delighted with the party’s local showing.

“We are acutally making gains in a couple of wards,” he said. “It’s a tribute to the work the council has done.

“They have had this vote of confidence from the people so it’s actually been a really good day for the Conservative party in Dartford.”

For ward-by-ward results, visit the Dartford Messenger Twitter feed here.

Britain First’s defeats were welcomed by campaign group Hope not Hate.

A spokesman said: "Despite pouring their resources into Swanscombe and Darenth, Paul Golding and Nick Scanlon have both come last.

"Voters have rejected Britain First and their divisive politics, they know that Britain First has no place in Dartford and chose hope over hate.”