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A defeated Labour councillor from Lancashire, Matthew Tomlinson, described himself as "an extremely loyal Labour Party supporter".

There are growing concerns about the targeting of opposition figures and supporters by security agencies as political mobilisation intensifies ahead of the elections.

Extending the hours that bigger shops are able to trade on a Sunday in the city will help "revitalise and regenerate" Belfast, a key supporter of the scheme has said.

Others with unlikely prospects urge their supporters to change their vote.

But their criticism has not been received well by some supporters of the ruling party, with some senior figures asking religious leaders to stay out of politics.