Reform UK’s candidate within the Makerfield by-election has been accused of sharing transphobic slurs, Covid misinformation and objectifying ladies in now-deleted social media posts.
Robert Kenyon is working as Nigel Farage’s candidate within the essential by-election, which is shaping as much as be a dramatic contest between Reform UK and Labour’s Andy Burnham, who would possible use a victory to problem Sir Keir Starmer’s management.
However in posts made on a now-deleted X account between 2020 and 2022 and shared by campaigners Hope Not Hate, the @robkenyon1 account made offensive feedback about ladies, peddled misinformation in regards to the pandemic and engaged with a Holocaust denier.
In a single submit, the account shares a sexually specific submit despatched to Carol Vorderman on her birthday, through which one other consumer declared he wished to carry out a sexual act on the presenter.
One other consumer responded to the submit, saying: “For those who’re ready to place this on a public discussion board, I might counsel that your laptop drive in all probability wants checking.”
However @robkenyon1 replied: “He’s solely saying what we’re all considering.”
An extra submit by the consumer mentioned he had been blocked from the Sky Sports activities Rugby League Twitter web page as a result of he “mentioned one thing about ladies’s rugby”.
The account additionally used transphobic slurs and, through the Covid-19 pandemic, peddled conspiracy theories about vaccinations.
Replying to somebody who mentioned the Covid vaccines “assist rather a lot”, the account replied: “What a load of c***,” and in contrast Covid vaccination insurance policies in Australia to Nazism.
It additionally instructed the media was “complicit” in “world tyranny” when responding to a submit by Peter Sweden, a far-right influencer with a historical past of Holocaust denial.
A Labour Celebration spokesperson condemned the “disgusting” posts.
“From creepy remarks about ladies, to peddling baseless conspiracy theories, that is appalling stuff from a parliamentary candidate,” the spokesperson instructed the BBC. “Nigel Farage wants to clarify why Reform UK chosen him within the first place.”
Carol Vorderman additionally condemned the feedback, telling The Mirror: “Basically, Rob Kenyon is a misogynist.”
She added: “He is not simply being a lad, he is being a disgusting on-line abuser who turned a Reform councillor three weeks in the past.”
Bu when the posts have been put to Reform UK, a spokesperson mentioned they “totally backed” Mr Kenyon.
“He is a superb, native candidate who we’re assured will probably be an outstanding MP for Makerfield,” the spokesperson mentioned. “These feedback have been made earlier than he was in politics. Rob isn’t a refined, skilled politician and doesn’t converse like one. That’s exactly why he’ll be a straight-talking, efficient voice for regular working folks in Makerfield.”
The social gathering’s deputy chief, Richard Tice, took to X to defend Mr Kenyon from what he known as the “Westminster wokerati” criticising the posts.
“Whining leftie fails to understand Makerfield have already voted for our nice candidate of their many hundreds. Native man, native tradesman, actual job. Westminster wokerati so out of contact,” he wrote.
Mr Kenyon, who was born within the constituency and now works as a self-employed plumber, beforehand ran within the 2024 election the place he completed in second place within the constituency with 31.8 per cent of the vote.
After he was introduced because the social gathering’s candidate for the upcoming by-election, it emerged he was beforehand Fb “buddies” with Gary Raikes, the neo-fascist founding father of the New British Union.
The Unbiased understands that the web page Mr Kenyon was buddies with was a political web page, relatively than a private one. Reform said that the Fb friendship “doesn’t represent an endorsement of his [Raikes’] views”.
Raikes’s NBU, which was fashioned in 2013, claims to be a revival of Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists. The social gathering helps fascist teams together with Golden Daybreak in Greece, and Raikes himself has beforehand been photographed in fascist uniform.
A Labour Celebration spokesperson described the revelation as “deeply troubling”, including: “Nigel Farage must urgently clarify if whether or not Reform have been conscious of his candidate’s obvious fascist buddies earlier than choosing him.
“It merely beggars perception. Voters in Makerfield and throughout Britain deserve a solution.”
