Carol Vorderman has called for an apology from Robert Kenyon, the Reform UK candidate in the upcoming Makerfield by-election, over what she described as 'disgusting comments' he made about her on social media. The broadcaster and former Countdown star labelled Kenyon a 'cowardly man' for a series of offensive posts, which have since been deleted along with his account.
In 2021, Kenyon responded to a social media post about Vorderman where another user wrote, 'My god I’d love to smell and lick your arsehole,' by saying, 'He’s only saying what we’re all thinking.' Vorderman, who last week posted a video describing Kenyon as a misogynist, told the Daily Mirror she wanted an apology from him to her and to all others he had abused online.
Danny Kruger, who joined Reform last September, defended Kenyon, saying the comments were 'inappropriate' but not serious enough to drop him as a candidate. Kruger argued Kenyon was 'an ordinary man from an ordinary place' who had stepped forward out of outrage at the state of the country. Vorderman dismissed this, stating that being an 'ordinary man' was no excuse and that public comments on a public platform constitute online abuse. She warned that if Reform considered such behaviour acceptable, women in Makerfield needed to know.
Labour’s Angela Rayner also criticised the comments, telling the Mirror that Reform’s tolerance of 'repulsive misogynistic abuse' spoke volumes. Further comments from Kenyon were unearthed by the I Paper and the Independent, including posts on a rugby league forum in 2019 where he claimed women have abortions for 'vanity purposes' and that women cannot 'ref, drive or give directions.' A Reform spokesperson said the comments were made before Kenyon entered politics and that he was entitled to his personal opinions on abortion, adding that he would be a 'straight-talking, effective voice for normal working people.'
