Voters in the Makerfield by-election have reacted to alleged past comments by Reform UK’s by-election candidate Robert Kenyon – and also gave their thoughts on Nigel Farage and Andy Burnham
Makerfield residents have told of their ‘disgust’ at comments allegedly made by Reform UK‘s by-election candidate – but the winner of this crunch vote is still anyone’s guess.
A number of offensive posts said to have been made by 41-year-old Robert Kenyon before he entered politics have emerged in recent days, putting the party on a defence footing as its own senior MP Danny Kruger described the comments as “inappropriate”.
On a now-defunct rugby league forum, Mr Keynon allegedly said women who have abortions want to sleep with “anyone they want and if they get caught they get a second chance and treat is as a secondary last chance form of contraception”, adding: “They ain’t kidding anyone”. In another post on the forum, he reportedly said: “I’m sexist, sorry but I am. Women can’t referee, drive or give directions”.
Reform UK’s candidate for the Makerfield by-election, Robert Kenyon, has been criticised for alleged comments made before he entered politics(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
And in a post on a since-deleted X (formerly Twitter ) account, the Reform candidate is said to have shared highly degrading and sexually graphic posts from another user about Carol Vorderman, leading her to brand him a “misogynist” and an “online abuser”.
A Reform UK spokesperson said the comments were made several years before he entered politics, and painted them as the words of an “ordinary man” who isn’t a “polished, professional politician.”
On a sunny day in Ashton-in-Makerfield, the largest town in the constituency, the Mirror spoke to constituents about what they thought of Mr Kenyon’s alleged comments – and whether they thought it could impact how they and their neighbours vote.
Megan Stott said the alleged comments about abortion were ‘disgusting’
Unimpressed with what she’d heard, Megan Stott said: “It’s disgusting really… it’s just a man thinking that he’s right about a woman’s body. If she’s not ready to have a baby, then she should have the right to have an abortion.
“I don’t like his tone, the way that doesn’t know the circumstances as to why a woman might be having an abortion.” She added that she believed Reform UK were a “very dangerous party for whatever area they were in” and she “really wouldn’t want” the party to represent Makerfield in parliament.
Desmond Williamson, 77, said the reported comments belonged to a different ‘day and age’
“It’s insulting” said another resident about the alleged abortion comments, while another described the remarks as “bigoted”.
On the suggestions that women can’t, or shouldn’t drive or referee, Desmond Williamson, 77, said: “They say ‘beware your sins will catch you out’, and they’ve caught him out.
“He’s living in the past, isn’t he? I mean my father and probably my grandfather might say things like that because of circumstances at the time, but not in this day and age.”
Reform voter John said he went to school with Mr Kenyon and described him as a ‘good lad’
Asked whether it could impact the outcome of the by-election, he said: “I’m sure it will. If he just turns all the women against him, that’ll be enough for Andy Burnham to win.”
Reform voter John however told us he knew Mr Kenyon from his schooldays and “wouldn’t believe” that he made the comments, describing him as “a good lad” who had his “head screwed on”.
Mirror man Benedict Tetzlaff Deas spoke to local residents in Ashton-in-Makerfield, the constituency’s largest town
Others offered their view on Andy Burnham’s quest to win Makerfield – and potentially the keys Number 10.
Mary, who is in her 70s, said: “I think he’s just done lots for the area – he’s a nice man. He gets things done – I hope he wins”.
Megan said she thought Andy would be a “great Prime Minister”, and that having a northerner in Number 10 would “be for the better”.
Mary, who is in her 70s, said Andy Burnham had ‘done lots for the area’ as Mayor of Greater Manchester
Sheila Maxwell, 80, said she believed the Mayor of Greater Manchester was a “nice man”, but feared that he could be using the constituency as a “stepping stone” for his own ambitions. Paul, 70, said Burnham lived near to him and “has a decent track record in politics”, but feared he’d “taken a risk – and it might not come off”.
A recent YouGov poll of Makerfield constituents put Restore Britain, a breakaway party set up by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, at a shock 7% – sparking fears within Farage’s party that they could lose the by-election by haemorrhaging votes further to the right.
When the Mirror visited Ashton-in-Makerfield, there were a few signs that some of Reform’s votes could indeed be peeling off to their new rivals.
Restore supporter, Tony, said he thinks Nigel Farage’s party have ‘become establishment’
On the roads leading into Ashton-in-Makerfield, a surprising number of Restore signs could be seen at the front of houses, along with the more numerous ‘For Andy’ placards and Reform UK promotional material. One Restore supporter, Tony, told us he believed Nigel Farage’s party “had become establishment”, adding: “He’s just another Conservative in a different light”.
Labour voter Jim Painter, 85, said: “Nigel Farage is the only man I know who could crawl under a snake’s belly with a top hat on.” He said of the government’s critics: “We had 14 years when we were mangled under the Tories – where were these people complaining then?
