Reform UK is examining whether sexist comments by its candidate in the Makerfield byelection harmed the party's chances, after Nigel Farage admitted the result was 'disappointing'. The party had hoped for a tightly fought battle with Labour's Andy Burnham, who won 55% of the vote, while Reform candidate Robert Kenyon secured 15,696 votes, more than 9,000 behind.
Canvassers from different parties reported that voters highlighted sexist and lewd social media posts by Kenyon, which emerged during the campaign, with women particularly put off. One Reform activist said the party had advised the candidate not to apologise for the comments, calling it a mistake in advice. The issue gained prominence after TV presenter Carol Vorderman demanded an apology from Kenyon over since-deleted posts.
Farage acknowledged the Vorderman controversy did not help, but also pointed to the challenge of taking on a well-known figure like Burnham. Reform was slightly buoyed by Rupert Lowe's far-right Restore UK taking just under 7% of the vote, less than some forecasts. Farage urged Restore voters to back Reform, calling it the only viable contender on the right.
Despite Restore's modest showing, Farage is concerned about losing votes to a party with openly racist rhetoric, which has nudged Reform into a more hard-right approach. Reform's migration policy has become more hardline, targeting EU nationals with settled status, and Farage has argued that white people face the most racism in a 'two-tier state'.
