There’s been plenty of controversy over Reform’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, Robert Kenyon, and his old social media posts.
But with Reform seemingly non-plussed by the plumber’s sexist and lewd remarks about women, then maybe this will concern them a bit more: he apparently didn’t vote for Brexit and doesn’t like Donald Trump.
In social posts unearthed by the Times, an account linked to Kenyon wrote on a rugby league fan forum in 2019: “So anyone who thinks I love Trump, voted Brexit, read the Daily Mail, live in the 1950s, [am] a Tory and 103 is wrong. I’m none of the above.”
In a separate post, the person behind the account wrote that they “woke up the day after Brexit s****ing myself to what was voted for.”
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They added that the European Union’s treatment of the UK since the Brexit referendum though had made them “glad we voted out.”
The comments came from an account with the username “post,” which reveals in other comments that their Twitter handle is @robkenyon1 and promotes Mr Kenyon’s book, The Blood Waltz.
In other Brexit-related posts, the account said they would join the EU “tomorrow” if it was “stripped right back to what it was set up for”, and also stated: “Free movement of people is great when they are natives of the EU countries and not people from outside Europe seeking a Greek passport that will allow them into any country in the EU.”
Responding to the report from the Times, a Reform UK spokesman claimed Kenyon did in fact vote leave in the Brexit referendum.
They added: “He has never endorsed freedom of movement in the EU’s current form, which would result in millions of non-EU foreign nationals being able to enter the country.”
Brexit has become a key issue in the Makerfield by-election. The constituency voted in favour of Brexit by more than two-thirds, but Andy Burnham, Labour’s candidate in the by-election, has previously said he would like to see the UK rejoin the EU.
Burnham has since rowed back on his comments from last year, saying he respects the referendum result and does not want to “re-run” its debates.