Carol Vorderman has dismissed Reform UK’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election as a ‘disgusting online abuser’ over a number of misogynistic posts from his now-deleted X account
A Reform by-election candidate who posted a creepy sexual message about Carol Vorderman has been dismissed as a “disgusting online abuser” by the TV star.
Robert Kenyon, who is standing to be the next MP for Makerfield, has been criticised over comments directed at women. Nigel Farage’s candidate, a local plumber, has been blasted over a degrading comment about Ms Vorderman, as well as crude comments about female rugby players.
After the posts from a now-deleted X account came to light, Reform said it stood by the candidate, claiming his lack of “polish” is what would make him an effective MP. Campaign group HopeNotHate discovered he had two X accounts, one of which has been suspended by the platform. The other has since been deleted, it said.
A post from one of the accounts referenced being blocked by the Sky Sports Rugby League account on X for comments about women’s rugby. Carol told The Mirror: “Fundamentally, Rob Kenyon is a misogynist.
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“I wouldn’t let him in my house if he was a local plumber in my area, not with what he’s been posting online. There is always a pattern.
“He’s been talking about how female rugby players ‘handle their knockers’, saying if it’s not ‘tits, and arse’, and he’d been blocked by the Sky Sports Rugby League Twitter page for his online behaviour.
“It’s a torrent of abusive and vile language. Nobody knows why his X account was suspended. X has a very low bar for suspension, and the public should know and Reform should tell us why his account was suspended. What were his actions for this to have happened?
“Last year the Victim’s Commissioner said ‘misogyny normalises violence against women and girls, normalises illegal harms such as harassment, abuse and stalking. And these harms manifest in both online and offline spaces’.
“He’s not just being a lad, he’s being a disgusting online abuser who became a Reform councillor three weeks ago.”
And she said it points to a wider problem in Mr Farage’s party, stating: “It’s yet another pattern of Reform. Let’s not forget that Nigel Farage has been photographed with Andrew Tate, he described Tate as an ‘important voice’ for young men.
“If anyone’s seriously thinking that Reform stands for the safety of women, then please think again. They stand for reducing women’s rights and safety.
“They’ve already stated they would abolish the Equality Act, which would scrap protections against workplace discrimination, equal pay rights, maternity leave. Reform did not disclose the conviction of one of their 2024 MPs, James McMurdock. After the election McMurdock turned out to have a conviction assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2006.”
Mr Kenyon was unveiled as Reform UK’s candidate in Makerfield, standing against Labour’s Andy Burnham. The party faces questions about his previous activity on social media.
In 2021, Mr Kenyon responded to an X user who wrote a degrading sexual message about Carol. After another user criticised the remark, the now-Reform candidate pitched in: “He’s only saying what we’re all thinking.”
In response to HopeNotHate’s investigation, a Reform UK spokesman said: “We fully back Cllr Kenyon. He is an excellent, local candidate who we are confident will be a superb MP for Makerfield.
“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.”
After being read Reform’s response, Carol said: “So basically, it doesn’t matter how misogynistic or otherwise he has been as far as Reform are concerned. And they didn’t care that their MP James McMurdock had been put in jail for kicking his girlfriend outside a nightclub and that it hadn’t been declared. They simply don’t care at all.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “Robert Kenyon’s comments online are disgusting and show that he’s not fit to represent Makerfield.
“From creepy remarks about women, to peddling baseless conspiracy theories, this is appalling stuff from a parliamentary candidate – on top of being Facebook friends with a fascist campaigner. Nigel Farage needs to explain why Reform UK selected him in the first place.”