Robert Kenyon, the Reform UK candidate for the Makerfield by-election, has faced scrutiny over a series of social media posts that have resurfaced since his selection. The 41-year-old plumber and Wigan councillor was chosen by Nigel Farage to contest the seat on 18 June, challenging Labour's Andy Burnham. The posts, which span from 2009 to 2022, include comments on Russia's annexation of Crimea, abortion, women, and LGBTQ+ issues.
According to reports, Kenyon wrote on an online forum in 2014 that Russia was "well within their rights" to annex Crimea, comparing it to the UK's actions in the Falklands. Defence minister Luke Pollard criticised Farage for selecting a candidate who "promotes Kremlin talking points". A Reform UK spokesman said Kenyon "at no point did explicitly support or endorse Russia's actions in Crimea" and that he is "fully opposed to Russia's illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine".
Posts from 2019 on a rugby league forum, attributed to Kenyon, described abortion as "legalised killing of babies" and claimed that the "majority [of abortions] are for vanity purposes". A 2022 post on X (formerly Twitter) stated: "Life begins at conception. Abortion is the cowardly act of murdering a defenceless baby." Labour Party chair Anna Turley said Kenyon was "not fit to represent Makerfield". A Reform spokesman said abortion is "a matter of conscience" and that the comments were made before Kenyon entered politics.
Other posts from 2011 and 2012 included remarks such as "women can't ref, drive or give directions" and "I'm sexist, sorry but I am". A 2009 post used a homophobic slur, and a 2010 post suggested that gay television presenters did "a lot more damage to the reputation of homosexuals" than a footballer's offensive tweet. Additionally, Hope Not Hate alleged that Kenyon responded to a post containing graphic sexual language about Carol Vorderman, writing: "He's only saying what we're all thinking." Vorderman demanded an apology.
A Reform UK spokesman defended Kenyon, stating: "We fully back Cllr Kenyon. He is an excellent, local candidate... These comments were made before he was in politics. Rob isn't a polished, professional politician and doesn't speak like one." Danny Kruger, Reform MP for East Wiltshire, described the Vorderman post as "clearly an inappropriate thing to say publicly" but noted Kenyon regarded it as a "private conversation".
