Reform UK’s candidate in the Makerfield byelection called abortion a “cowardly act of murdering a defenceless baby” and suggested women falsely claim to have been raped in order to terminate their pregnancies.
Reform is positioning Robert Kenyon, a plumber and army reservist who contested the seat in the 2024 general election, to take on Andy Burnham, branding the Labour mayor of greater Manchester a “carpetbagger” who is using the seat for his own pursuit of power.
Since Kenyon launched his bid, it has emerged he had one Twitter/X account that has been deleted and one that was suspended, and a Facebook account that Kenyon said he was “mothballing” days before his candidacy was announced.
Researchers at the anti-facism groups Searchlight and Hope Not Hate have unearthed posts from all three accounts that question his suitability for public office.
In a series of now-deleted tweets from one account, Kenyon made anti-abortion comments. Responding to a post by the comedian John Cleese, Kenyon said: “Don’t dole out the ‘what if someone is raped by their brother’ arguement [sic]. Life begins at conception. Abortion is the cowardly act of murdering a defenceless baby and not having to face up to it cause a Dr did it. They don’t want babies? Use contreception! [sic]”
In other posts he also claimed that people advocating the right to choose were “usually the lefty crowd”, adding: “Because the left are actually evil.”
Meanwhile, his Facebook connections suggest Kenyon has had links with senior figures on the far right, including Gary Raikes, leader of the New British Union. He was also Facebook friends with former BNP members Alex Eversfield and Robert Baggs.
Posts on Twitter show Kenyon calling the Australian approach to the Covid lockdown “full Nazi” and suggesting the vaccine was “gene therapy”.
He repeatedly made derogatory, sometimes sexual, remarks about high-profile women, including the Labour MP Emily Thornberry and television presenter Carol Vorderman; called Labour “the party for trannys”; and used homophobic comments about male rugby players.
A Labour party spokesperson said: “Robert Kenyon’s comments online are disgusting and show that he’s not fit to represent Makerfield.”
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However, a Reform UK spokesman said: “Cllr Kenyon is perfectly entitled to his own personal opinions on abortion. In this country, this issue has always been a matter of conscience, regardless of which party a politician represents.”
The byelection, which will take place on 18 June, is seen as a two-horse race between Labour and Reform. Survation estimates that Burnham will edge it, however, with 45% of the vote to Kenyon’s 42%.
However, the Green party has doubled down on its decision to field a second candidate there after its first hopeful was forced to quit within nine hours of being announced.
Chris Kennedy withdrew from the race on Thursday for “personal and family reasons”, the Greens said. The Times reported that it had approached him about social media posts describing the attack on ambulances operated by the Jewish charity Hatzola in Golders Green, north London, as a “false flag” operation – a self-inflicted sabotage intended to provoke anger.
Meanwhile, Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green party in England and Wales, is facing a formal investigation by the London Assembly standards commissioner regarding alleged non-payment of council tax. Polanski admitted he may have made an “unintentional mistake” over payments after questions were raised about his living arrangements in a narrowboat in east London.
Photograph by Reform UK