Reform UK's candidate for the Makerfield by-election, Robert Kenyon, has been criticised after claiming Russia was “within their rights” to annex Crimea, comparing the action to the UK's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. The comments were made in an online forum in March 2014, shortly after Moscow's illegal annexation of the peninsula.
In the post, Kenyon agreed with a user who described the annexation as “democracy in action”, writing: “I agree totally, Russia are well within their rights to do what they have done as we did with the Falklands. However, will Latvia be next?” The annexation was only recognised by a handful of countries, including North Korea and Sudan.
A Reform UK spokesman defended Kenyon, stating: “At no point did Rob explicitly support or endorse Russia’s actions in Crimea. He is fully opposed to Russia’s illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine.” The party expressed full confidence in Kenyon, describing him as an “excellent, local candidate”.
Further resurfaced posts linked to Kenyon include derogatory comments about women, where he wrote that women cannot “ref, drive or give directions” and declared “I’m sexist, sorry but I am.” Other posts objectified European women and criticised female sports presenters, with a Reform spokesperson dismissing the remarks as “locker room banter”.
Kenyon, a self-employed plumber born in the constituency, previously stood in the 2024 general election, finishing second with 31.8% of the vote. The by-election, triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Yvonne Fovargue, will take place on 18 June.
