Reform UK candidate faces scrutiny over past anti-Brexit remarks
The plumber and local candidate has drawn criticism for describing the exit as an economically damaging project, while the party defends his history as a non-professional politician.
Robert Kenyon, Reform UK’s candidate for the Makerfield byelection, is facing intensified scrutiny following the discovery of online posts from 2016 in which he described Brexit as an economically self-harming project. The comments, originally shared on a defunct rugby league forum, directly contradict Kenyon’s current alignment with the party and his assertion that he supported leaving the European Union at the time.
The posts, first reported by the Telegraph, were made in the hours after the referendum result was called. In one message, Kenyon wrote that Brexit meant the country had "shot our economy in the foot" and accused politicians of peddling "nationalistic pish" to secure the working-class vote. He further criticised the outcome by suggesting the UK would remain under EU rules without having a say in their creation, adding that former Prime Minister David Cameron had "thrown the towel in" due to the mess he created.
Confusion regarding Kenyon’s historical position was compounded by a second post identified in which he stated that people would be wrong to assume he had voted for Brexit. This stands in contrast to his recent statement to the Telegraph, where he claimed that while he voted for Brexit, he has since become "convinced that we made the right decision" despite what he described as efforts by a "tired establishment" to block and dilute the process.
Kenyon, a local plumber in Greater Manchester, has also faced criticism for other past online activity. These include expressions of scepticism about vaccines and the seriousness of Covid, backing Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, and interacting with far-right figures. Additionally, he has been asked by TV presenter Carol Vorderman to apologise for endorsing a lewd comment about her.
Reform UK has defended Kenyon, stating that the posts reflect the views of a non-professional politician made before he entered electoral politics. The controversy has prompted a sequence of stories since Kenyon was selected on 18 June to contest the byelection against Labour’s Andy Burnham, raising questions about his commitment to Nigel Farage’s signature achievement.