Rayner attacks ‘sexist puppet’ as Reform candidate’s past remarks dominate campaign
Angela Rayner has issued a stark warning that Labour “must” win this week’s crucial by-election in Makerfield, branding Reform UK’s candidate Robert Kenyon “Nigel Farage’s sexist puppet” just two days before voters go to the polls. The contest, triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, has become a lightning rod for questions about the party’s future leadership and the rise of Reform UK in traditional Labour strongholds.
Speaking at the Unison national conference, the former deputy prime minister made clear the stakes. “I know that this conference is an important thing that’s happening this week, but there’s also an election on Thursday,” she said. “A choice between Andy Burnham and Nigel Farage’s sexist puppet. It is a fight that we must win. But that is just the start, conference, we must finish the job on workers rights.” Rayner has previously warned that Labour must confront the reasons voters turn to “populists and nationalists” and has called for stronger workers’ rights as part of the party’s response.
Robert Kenyon’s history of offensive comments
Kenyon, a self-employed plumber and Reform UK councillor for Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North, has faced weeks of backlash after a series of now-deleted social media posts resurfaced. The comments span sexist remarks, explicit references to a TV presenter, anti-abortion views, and inflammatory statements on Russia and public health — and he has repeatedly refused to apologise.
In posts linked to his online accounts, Kenyon suggested women “can’t ref, drive or give directions” and declared “I’m sexist, sorry but I am.” Messages on an RLFans rugby league forum from the 2010s objectified European women while disparaging English women, claiming they “don’t care” and “just walk around with their fat bellies and odd shapes pushing a pram at 16 in their PJ’s.” The same user wrote that European women “all have really good figures and are good looking” and, in response to a post containing images of women, said “Wouldn’t get me off any of those with a bazooka.”
A now-deleted X account under the handle @robkenyon1 also engaged with a sexually explicit post directed at TV presenter Carol Vorderman on her birthday. Another user had written that he wanted to perform a sexual act on her. When a third person replied that the original post suggested the author’s “computer drive probably needs checking”, @robkenyon1 responded: “He’s only saying what we’re all thinking.” Vorderman has since called Kenyon a “cowardly man” and an “online abuser” and demanded an apology.
Further posts attributed to Kenyon expressed strong anti-abortion views. He suggested that abortions are often carried out for “vanity purposes” and that women use them as a “secondary form of contraception”, and described abortion as a “cowardly act of murdering a defenceless baby.” Reform UK has said those comments were made before Kenyon entered politics and that abortion is a matter of conscience. Separately, Kenyon also reportedly stated that Russia was “within their rights” to invade Crimea and told former chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty to “f*** right off” over Covid-19 booster vaccines.
Reform UK has largely dismissed the remarks as “locker room banter” or “laddish pub talk”, with leader Nigel Farage asking “so what?” and arguing they were taken out of context. Reform MP Danny Kruger acknowledged the comments were “inappropriate” but described them as “private conversations” of “an ordinary man”. Kenyon himself, appearing on a special Makerfield edition of BBC’s Question Time, denied being sexist. “I won’t accept that label,” he said. “I mean a lot of the things have been said 15 years ago. I was brought up by a single parent and my grandma, who was a widow, and an older sister. So I was brought up by women. I’ve got nothing but respect for women. Something that’s said 15 years ago, dragged up from an old rugby forum, it’s completely taken out of context. I’ve made mistakes, I’ve said things years ago that I wouldn’t say now and I definitely don’t believe that, on that point.”
The controversy has been widely covered and discussed, and polling suggests it is damaging his candidacy. Research by the campaign group 38 Degrees found that a majority of voters would be less likely to back a candidate who had made offensive online posts. Awareness of Kenyon’s comments is high, with an Opinium poll commissioned by Forward Democracy showing a significant impact on his support.
Tight contest in the polls
Despite the furore, the race remains exceptionally close. Recent constituency polling by Opinium, taken between 3 and 11 June, shows Labour’s Andy Burnham on 46 per cent and Kenyon trailing five points behind on 41 per cent — a lead that falls within the poll’s margin of error of just under 5 per cent. The result is described as too close to call, especially given the potential for late-campaign movement. A separate Opinium survey indicated that in a future general election, Reform UK could outperform Labour in the seat, securing 42 per cent against Labour’s 34 per cent, suggesting that Burnham’s personal popularity is currently boosting Labour’s standing.
The gender divide is emerging as a crucial factor. Labour’s lead is reportedly stronger among women voters, likely a direct consequence of Kenyon’s past remarks. For Burnham, the by-election is a stepping stone back to Westminster; he has made clear he intends to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership if he wins. However, his own favourability ratings have slipped, with one poll showing a net score of -11 (30 per cent favourable, 41 per cent unfavourable), a decline since mid‑May that coincides with the internal Labour revolt against Starmer. Should Burnham be elected, he would be required to step down as Mayor of Greater Manchester, triggering a separate mayoral by-election.
The contest has also drawn attention to Reform UK’s broader candidate vetting process, which Nigel Farage has previously admitted has been “pisspoor”. Other Reform candidates in recent local elections have faced allegations of posting racist and Islamophobic content. Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress has criticised the party’s proposed “Women and Motherhood Protection Act”, arguing it is a “shameless and deceptive” attempt to distract from policies that would “slash women’s rights” by scrapping the Equality Act and the Employment Rights Act. Makerfield, a traditional red‑wall seat where Reform UK won all eight council wards in May’s local elections, now hosts what Farage has described as a “David versus Goliath battle” — a contest that will test whether personal scandal can derail the momentum of a resurgent challenger.
