Reform’s Danny Kruger has stated that the Makerfield by-election candidate from the party should not be ousted, despite making inappropriate comments about Carol Vorderman.

In a lively exchange on the BBC, the former Tory MP mentioned that he would not scrutinize the candidate’s past statements after the former Countdown star accused Robert Kenyon of misogyny.

This development follows the discovery by campaigning group HopeNotHate that Mr. Kenyon, selected as Reform’s candidate to contest Andy Burnham of the Labour Party in the crucial by-election, had two X accounts. One account has been suspended by the platform, while the other has been deleted, as per HopeNotHate.

During a segment on the Today program, presenter Emma Barnett brought up a deleted Twitter account from Christmas Eve 2021, where Mr. Kenyon endorsed a lewd message to Carol Vorderman. In response, Mr. Kruger remarked that it was a private comment that had been wrongly made public.

Mr. Kruger further explained that social media poses challenges as individuals sometimes treat it like private conversations with friends in a pub, leading to inappropriate public disclosures. He emphasized that while such remarks are unacceptable for an elected official, they might be seen differently in a private context.

Carol Vorderman expressed her view to The Mirror, labeling Rob Kenyon as a misogynist and criticizing his online behavior.

When asked if Mr. Kenyon should be removed as Reform’s candidate in Makerfield, Mr. Kruger defended his position, stating that although the comments were inappropriate, Mr. Kenyon was not a politician at the time of making them.

Subsequent to the revelation of posts from a now-deleted X account, Reform reiterated its support for the candidate, emphasizing that his lack of polish could make him an effective Member of Parliament.

In response to the investigation by HopeNotHate, a spokesman for Reform UK expressed full support for Cllr Kenyon, highlighting his local credentials and asserting confidence in his ability to represent Makerfield effectively.

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