Nigel Farage climbed into a tradesman’s van to listen to a plumber’s struggles with the cost of living, filming the conversation as Reform UK targets Labour’s heartlands in the Makerfield by-election.
Robert Kenyon, Reform’s candidate for the constituency where he was born and still works as a gas engineer, told Farage that Britain had become “too expensive to live properly”. “You can work hard and still have nothing left over,” he said.
The pair drove around the area, with Farage, the party leader, using the moment to spotlight Kenyon’s account of life as an independent tradesman. Kenyon, who also serves as a councillor for Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North on Wigan Council, previously stood for Reform in the 2024 general election, finishing second behind Labour’s Josh Simons. Farage has described the by-election as a “David versus Goliath battle”, casting Kenyon as a local champion taking on a “professional politician” in the form of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
A tradesman’s squeezed margins
Kenyon’s personal financial experience underscores a broader crisis facing tradespeople across the UK. Research shows that rising costs for fuel, materials and transport have eaten into profit margins, with supply chain delays and higher overheads forcing many to raise their prices or turn down work. Some independent tradesmen report that even with full order books, the gap between income and essential outgoings has narrowed to the point where a full week’s labour leaves little to spare.
The shortage of skilled tradespeople is projected to cost the economy billions of pounds in lost growth, as rising costs and uncertainty deter new entrants to the profession. Kenyon’s complaint that the country is “too expensive to live properly” reflects a sentiment echoed by many in his line of work: that hard graft no longer guarantees a comfortable standard of living.
Reform UK has made the cost-of-living crisis a central plank of its campaign, proposing to lift the income tax threshold to £20,000, scrap VAT on energy bills and cut taxes on renewable energy. Public opinion polls suggest a significant portion of voters believe Reform is better equipped than Labour or the Conservatives to tackle the issue.
The by-election battle
The Makerfield by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, who stepped down to allow Andy Burnham to stand for Parliament. Burnham’s potential return to Westminster is widely viewed as a move to position himself for a future challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. Labour holds the seat with a majority of 5,399, but Reform has enjoyed a strong performance in recent local elections across the Wigan area, gaining a significant number of seats.
Farage’s party is framing the contest as a chance for disaffected Labour voters to send a message, aiming to break the long-standing link between the working class and the Labour Party. Reform’s wider platform combines a hardline stance on immigration, opposition to net-zero policies and a focus on culture-war issues.
But Kenyon’s candidacy has attracted scrutiny. An X account believed to belong to him, under the handle @Makerfield_RFK, was suspended for violating the platform’s rules. Archived posts from the account, active during his 2024 general election campaign, contained what observers have described as alarmist claims about immigration and invasion. He was also found to have shared posts from far-right figures including Carl Benjamin and Wayne O’Rourke, and to have engaged with conspiracy-theory content. Reports indicate that Kenyon was Facebook friends with Gary Raikes, the founder of the neo-fascist group New British Union.
Reform UK has stood by its candidate, stating that the party “fully back Councillor Kenyon” and that the comments were made before he entered politics. “He is not a polished, professional politician,” the party said. Farage himself has previously faced accusations of holding extremist views, and Reform has been criticised over its vetting processes and the conduct of some candidates.
Despite the controversy, Kenyon’s message as a working tradesman struggling to make ends meet remains at the centre of Reform’s appeal in Makerfield. “You can work hard and still have nothing left over,” he said.
