Reform UK’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election is facing calls to explain a series of now-deleted social media posts in which he allegedly shared transphobic slurs, Covid misinformation and sexually objectifying comments about women — as the party insisted it “fully backed” him and dismissed critics as the “Westminster wokerati.”
Robert Kenyon, a self-employed plumber from the constituency who is running as Nigel Farage’s candidate in the high-stakes contest against Labour’s Andy Burnham, is at the centre of the row after campaign group Hope Not Hate shared posts attributed to the now-deleted X account @robkenyon1, made between 2020 and 2022.
Among the posts highlighted by Hope Not Hate, the account shared a sexually explicit comment directed at television presenter Carol Vorderman on her birthday, in which another user described wanting to perform a sexual act on her. Rather than condemning the remark, the account replied: “He’s only saying what we’re all thinking.” A further post claimed the user had been blocked from the Sky Sports Rugby League Twitter page after making comments about women’s rugby.
The account also used transphobic slurs and, during the pandemic, shared conspiracy theories about Covid vaccines. When another user suggested the vaccines “help a lot,” the account responded with an expletive dismissal and compared Australian vaccination policy to Nazism. It also suggested the media was “complicit” in “global tyranny” in response to a post by Peter Sweden, a far-right influencer with a documented history of Holocaust denial.
Vorderman was unequivocal in her response, telling The Mirror: “Fundamentally, Rob Kenyon is a misogynist. He’s not just being a lad, he’s being a disgusting online abuser who became a Reform councillor three weeks ago.” A Labour Party spokesperson described the posts as “appalling,” telling the BBC: “From creepy remarks about women to peddling baseless conspiracy theories, this is appalling stuff from a parliamentary candidate. Nigel Farage needs to explain why Reform UK selected him in the first place.”
The controversy does not end there. Since Kenyon was announced as the party’s candidate, it also emerged he had been Facebook friends with Gary Raikes, the neo-fascist founder of the New British Union — an organisation that presents itself as a revival of Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists and supports groups including the Greek far-right party Golden Dawn. Raikes has previously been photographed in fascist uniform. According to Britannia Daily, the Facebook connection was to a political page rather than a personal profile, and Reform stated it did not “constitute an endorsement” of Raikes’s views. Labour nonetheless described the revelation as “deeply troubling,” saying it “beggars belief” and calling on Farage to clarify whether the party had been aware of the connection before selecting Kenyon.
Reform UK showed no sign of wavering. A party spokesperson said the party “fully backed” Kenyon, describing him as “an excellent, local candidate” who would be “a superb MP for Makerfield.” On the deleted posts, the spokesperson said: “These comments were made before he was in politics. Rob isn’t a polished, professional politician and doesn’t speak like one. That’s precisely why he’ll be a straight-talking, effective voice for normal working people in Makerfield.”
Deputy leader Richard Tice was equally dismissive of the backlash, posting on X: “Whining leftie fails to realise Makerfield have already voted for our great candidate in their many thousands. Local man, local tradesman, real job. Westminster wokerati so out of touch.”
Kenyon, who was born in the constituency, stood in the 2024 general election and finished second with 31.8 per cent of the vote. The Makerfield by-election is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched contests of the year, with a Burnham victory widely expected to trigger a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.
