Reform UK is investigating whether sexist comments made by its candidate in the Makerfield byelection may have damaged the party's performance, after Nigel Farage admitted the result was disappointing. The party's review comes after Andy Burnham secured 55% of the vote in a contest that Reform had hoped would be a tight race between the Labour leadership contender and local plumber Robert Kenyon.
Voter Reactions to Kenyon's Posts
Canvassers from various parties reported that voters highlighted sexist and lewd social media posts by Kenyon, which emerged during the campaign. Women in particular said they were put off by the remarks. After Kenyon finished more than 9,000 votes behind Burnham, one Reform activist said the party had advised the candidate not to apologize for the comments, calling it a matter of poor advice rather than his fault.
Impact of Carol Vorderman Video
The issue gained prominence when TV presenter Carol Vorderman posted a video demanding an apology from Kenyon, after it emerged he had participated in a graphic discussion about her in now-deleted posts. A Reform source acknowledged, "I will admit that the Vorderman stuff did not help us."
Farage's Response and Party Analysis
Farage's party pointed to the difficulty of challenging a well-known figure like Burnham, even in a seat demographically favorable to Reform. Kenyon increased his vote share by 2.7 percentage points compared to 2024. The party was also somewhat encouraged by Rupert Lowe's far-right Restore UK taking just under 7% of the vote, less than some forecasts predicted.
In a video message on X, Farage urged Restore voters to back Reform, calling it the only viable contender on the right. He described Burnham's win as "a dramatic, emphatic win" and admitted that Reform had hoped for at least 18,000 votes but achieved 15,696. Farage argued that his party was "slightly hoist with our own petard" by taking on a Labour challenger whose message implied a vote for him was a vote to remove Keir Starmer, which was Reform's slogan in May's local elections.
Burnham's Local Appeal and Kenyon's Defense
Burnham's personal standing in Greater Manchester, where he has been mayor since 2017, appeared to be a significant factor, along with Kenyon's comments. Kenyon did not apologize but presented the posts as evidence of being an ordinary person rather than a professional politician.
Farage's Concern Over Restore Britain
Despite Restore's modest showing, Farage is concerned about losing votes to a party with openly racist rhetoric. He addressed Restore voters directly, saying, "What do you want? We are the challenger party to the left in this country, and I would urge you to think again." Farage insisted Reform remains "the big national party on the centre right" and noted that the Conservatives remain uncompetitive in large parts of the UK despite their win in Aberdeen South.
He ended his message: "A disappointing morning, but we keep going."
Shift to Hard-Right Policies
Faced with the threat from Restore Britain, an online phenomenon amplified by Elon Musk, Farage has pushed Reform onto more hard-right turf. Following the case of Henry Nowak, a student handcuffed by police as he lay dying, Farage argued that white people face the most racism in a "two-tier state." Reform's migration policy has become more hardline, targeting EU nationals with settled status, proposing to bar them from social housing and make employing them more expensive for companies.
