Reform UK's candidate in the Makerfield by-election, Robert Kenyon, has faced condemnation after now-deleted social media posts resurfaced, containing transphobic slurs, Covid-19 misinformation, and objectifying comments about women. The posts, shared by campaign group Hope Not Hate, were made between 2020 and 2022 on an X account under the handle @robkenyon1.
Content of the Posts
In one post, the account shared a sexually explicit message sent to Carol Vorderman on her birthday, where another user expressed a desire to perform a sexual act on the presenter. When another user criticized the post, @robkenyon1 replied, "He's only saying what we're all thinking." Another post indicated the user had been blocked from the Sky Sports Rugby League page for making comments about women's rugby.
The account also used transphobic slurs and promoted conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccinations. In response to a user stating that vaccines "help a lot," the account replied, "What a load of c***," and compared Australia's vaccination policies to Nazism. It also suggested the media was "complicit" in "global tyranny" when engaging with Peter Sweden, a far-right influencer with a history of Holocaust denial.
Reactions
A Labour Party spokesperson condemned the posts as "disgusting" and called on Nigel Farage to explain why Kenyon was selected. "From creepy remarks about women, to peddling baseless conspiracy theories, this is appalling stuff from a parliamentary candidate," the spokesperson told the BBC.
However, a Reform UK spokesperson defended Kenyon, stating that the comments were made before he entered politics and that he is a "straight-talking, effective voice for normal working people." Deputy leader Richard Tice also defended him on X, labeling critics as the "Westminster wokerati."
Background
Kenyon, a self-employed plumber born in the constituency, previously ran in the 2024 general election, finishing second with 31.8% of the vote. It also emerged that he was Facebook friends with Gary Raikes, the neo-fascist founder of the New British Union. Reform UK stated that the friendship was with a political page and did not endorse Raikes' views. Labour described this as "deeply troubling" and demanded answers from Farage.
