Robert F Kennedy Jr ‘to run for US president as an independent’

Presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr speaks during a campaign event in Philadelphia (Matt Rourke/AP/PA)

Longtime environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist Robert F Kennedy Jr has said he will run for US president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid.

Mr Kennedy, a member of one of the most famous Democratic families in US politics, was running a longshot primary bid and has better favourability ratings among Republicans than Democrats.