Reform’s by-election candidate didn’t vote for Brexit, unearthed posts suggest
Newly emerged online posts show Reform England’s Makerfield by-election candidate voted Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Robert Kenyon, Nigel Farage’s candidate in the contest against Labour’s Andy Burnham, has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for a series of social media posts containing sexist language and transphobic slurs.
The issue of EU relations became a key battleground in the Makerfield contest, which saw 65 per cent vote in favor of Brexit a decade ago, with UK Reform leader Mr Farage famously leading the campaign for the UK to leave the bloc.
But other posts, deleted in 2019, appear to show Mr Kenyon, the plumber, denying that he voted leave.
An account linked to Mr Kenyon wrote on a rugby league fan forum: “So anyone who thinks I love Trump, voted for Brexit, read the Daily Mail, lived in the 1950s, lived in the Conservative Party and 103 is wrong. I’m none of the above.”
The remarks were made by an account under the username “post” promoting Mr. Kenyon’s book, which other comments say is their Twitter handle @robkenyon1. Blood Waltz.
In other posts, the account said they “woke up the day after I tricked myself into seeing what Brexit was voted for”, but that the EU’s subsequent treatment of the UK made him “glad we didn’t vote for it”.
He said he would join the EU “tomorrow” if it was “returned to the basis for which it was intended”, and also wrote: “Free movement of people is great when they are natives of EU countries and not people from outside Europe looking for a Greek passport that will allow them to enter any country in the EU.”
A spokesman for Reform UK said Mr Kenyon “voted Leave in 2016 and is a proud Brexiteer, unlike Andy Burnham, who will drag the UK back into the EU by any means possible”.
Mr Kenyon was also accused of making “derogatory” comments about women in another series of online posts that have resurfaced.
The same account wrote in 2011 that women “can’t make references, drive or give directions” and declared: “I’m sexist, I’m sorry, but I am.”
Posts on an online rugby fans forum in the 2010s objectified the bodies of European women, saying British women “don’t care” and are “walking around pushing strollers in their pajamas as 16-year-olds with their fat bellies and weird shapes”.
Posts responding to a debate about women presenting matches on Sky in 2019 said: “The women on the panel are not up to the job and are just there to tick a box” and said female Super League players were “not up to standard” for commentating on games.
In another post on the now-deleted account robkenyon1
Another user responded to the post: “If you’re prepared to put this on a public forum, I’d suggest your computer drive probably needs to be checked.”
But @robkenyon1 replied: “He’s just saying what we’re all thinking.”
Ms Vorderman condemned the comments and said: Mirror: “Actually, Rob Kenyon is a misogynist.”
He added: “He’s not just a lad, he’s a disgusting internet harasser who became a Reform councilor three weeks ago.”
A spokesman for Reform UK did not dispute the resurfaced comments, instead describing them as “locker room jokes”.
A spokesman for Reform England said: “These comments, which were little more than dressing room jokes, were made more than a decade ago – long before Rob entered politics.”
“We don’t just care about the organisation’s hit business. We fully support Rob and are confident he will be an excellent MP for Makerfield.”
