Reform UK’s Makerfield byelection candidate appeared to doubt seriousness of Covid on X
Key takeaways
- Robert Kenyon is a plumber who will run against Andy Burnham in the 18 June byelection.
- Archived webpages show a series of posts connected to Covid, including one in July 2022 in response to a post about a new variant.
- When challenged as to why he was expressing such views based on just his own experiences, Kenyon replied: “At the same time I had it, four other people on the course I was on caught it all the same as me, no symptoms.”
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Robert Kenyon is a plumber who will run against Andy Burnham in the 18 June byelection. Photograph: Twitter/X Reform View image in fullscreen Robert Kenyon is a plumber who will run against Andy Burnham in the 18 June byelection. Photograph: Twitter/X Reform Reform UKReform UK’s Makerfield candidate appeared to doubt seriousness of Covid on XExclusive: Robert Kenyon has been linked to vaccine scepticism and advised a person with the virus to ‘stop having boosters’
Prefer the Guardian on Google The Reform UK candidate in this month’s Makerfield byelection appeared to express doubt over the seriousness of Covid and the efficacy of vaccines for the virus in another tranche of messages unearthed from now-deleted social media posts.
Previously seen messages from Robert Kenyon showed him interacting with far-right figures and expressing strong support for Donald Trump. Separately, the broadcaster Carol Vorderman has asked Kenyon to apologise for “disgusting comments” he made about her on X in the past.