Reform Makerfield candidate admits making 'crass' comments in past

Reform UK's campaigner successful the Makerfield by-election has admitted making "crass" comments online, aft scrutiny of his past posts during the campaign.

Robert Kenyon has faced disapproval implicit erstwhile online comments astir assorted issues, including his presumption connected Brexit, termination and Ukraine.

In an interrogation with the BBC, Robert Kenyon said the comments, which person been unearthed by newspapers and run groups, were made earlier helium entered politics.

Reform UK has backed Kenyon and said the enactment said it had nary plans to analyse him implicit his erstwhile comments.

Kenyon is 1 of fourteen candidates contesting the by-election successful the Greater Manchester constituency connected Thursday 18 June.

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of erstwhile Makerfield MP Josh Simons, who stood down to pave the mode for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to effort to triumph the spot and instrumentality to Westminster.

The ballot is expected to beryllium a contention betwixt Burnham and Kenyon, a plumber and section councillor.

Speaking to the BBC astatine a pub successful the constituency, Kenyon said helium was not a "career politician" and radical would "feel listened to" if helium became the MP.

He said if elected "people would consciousness similar they had a dependable now, whereas successful the past 40 years they've not".

He added that radical wanted a "local lad" to correspond them, who lives successful and knows the area, and "knows the radical and is good successful tune with that".

In the interview, helium said helium was "not a polished professional" erstwhile helium was asked astir concerns implicit his erstwhile usage of societal media.

In comments unearthed connected a defunct rugby league forum online, Kenyon described Brexit arsenic an economically damaging task promoted by politicians who "peddled the nationalistic pish".

When asked astir those comments, Kenyon insisted helium had voted for Brexit, and said helium had "no recollection of saying that".

He was besides asked astir comments helium made successful narration to TV presenter Carol Vorderman.

Vorderman has said she wants an apology aft Kenyon responded to a sexually graphic station astir the TV presenter with a thumbs up and laughing emoji and a remark saying "He's lone saying what we're each thinking".

Kenyon said helium had "not made intersexual remarks astir Carol Vorderman", but had responded to idiosyncratic else's station with a "crass joke".

"There mightiness person been a fewer crass comments that I've said," helium added.

But helium added that helium was much disquieted astir Labour's positions connected assorted issues, including grooming gangs and the rights of transgender people.

"I don't deliberation the Labour Party cognize what a pistillate is," Kenyon said. "I deliberation that's a spot much unsafe than a fewer 10-year-old tweets."

Kenyon, who was elected arsenic a Reform UK councillor for the Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North ward successful past month's section elections, said helium "wouldn't marque immoderate crass comments" present "because everything you bash accidental is nether a microscope".

"Once you're being paid by the nationalist purse to correspond them, you've got a work to behave successful a definite way," Kenyon said.

A afloat database of the parties who person enactment guardant candidates for the Makerfield by-election tin beryllium recovered here.