Robert Kenyon, the Reform UK candidate for the Makerfield byelection, has been revealed to have described Brexit as an economically self-harming project promoted by politicians who 'peddled the nationalistic pish'. The comments were made on a rugby league forum in 2016, shortly after the referendum result.
The remarks, first reported by the Telegraph, add to a series of controversial posts by Kenyon, a plumber from Greater Manchester. These include scepticism about vaccines, support for Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea, and a lewd comment about TV presenter Carol Vorderman.
In the 2016 post, Kenyon wrote: 'All Brexit means is we’ve shot our economy in the foot for the short term... they peddled the nationalistic pish and got [the] working class vote, bit silly if you ask me.' He also predicted the UK would end up under EU rules with no say.
When asked about the comments, Kenyon told the Telegraph that he had voted for Brexit at the time but believed people were entitled to question the campaign. He added that he had since become convinced that leaving the EU was the right decision.
Reform UK has defended Kenyon, stating that his posts were made before he stood for election and reflect the views of someone who is not a professional politician.
