The half-Maltese UK politician, dubbed the British Sarah Palin, only managed third place in the Eastleigh by-election on Thursday.

Conservative candidate Maria Hutchings refused to answer questions by UK journalists when the results were announced.

The 51-year-old walked through a crowd of reporters with a frozen smile, according to UK news agencies.

There were 14 candidates for the by-election, which followed the resignation of Liberal Democrat MP Chris Huhne.

The winner was Liberal Democrat Mike Thornton, who got 32 per cent of the vote.

Ms Hutchings only managed to secure 25.4 per cent, ranking below Ukip’s Diane James, with 27.8 per cent.

This was considered disappointing as Ukip does not have any seats in the House of Commons. The party has been gaining ground in opinion polls at the expense of the Conservatives, mainly because of its Eurosceptic stand.

Ms Hutchings is known for her outspoken, socially conservative views. She has said she disagreed with Prime Minister David Cameron’s same-sex marriage proposals, insisting marriage should be between a man and a woman.

A practising Catholic, Ms Hutchings also said she would vote to reduce the 24-week limit on abortion “as far as possible”.

Ms Hutchings is the daughter of a British Royal Fusilier, who died of cancer when she was 16, and a Maltese woman named Victoria, now 76.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.