Reform UK leader in swipe at Oxford University politicians

Ahead of the Makerfield by-election next week (Thursday, June 18) the leader of Reform has defended his candidate Robert Kenyon after criticism about past comments including from former Countdown host Carol Vorderman.

Mr Kenyon, who is standing against Labour’s Andy Burnham, used a now-deleted X account to support an offensive post about Ms Vorderman.

READ MORE: RAF response as military transport aircraft spotted flying low over Oxford

Messages published by campaign group Hope Not Hate showed that Mr Kenyon responded on Christmas Eve 2021 to another person’s post including graphic sexual language about the presenter.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: Yui Mok/PA WIre)

Alongside a thumbs up and a laughing emoji, the plumber wrote: “He’s only saying what we’re all thinking.”

Ms Vorderman has demanded an apology from the politician, who she branded “cowardly”.

When asked about this during a press conference held in Makerfield, Mr Farage dismissed the comments while hitting out at Oxford University-educated politicians, comparing them to “ordinary bloke” Mr Kenyon.

He said: “These comments were posted a decade ago.

Oxford University’s Radcliffe Camera (Image: Oxford Mail)

“They’ve been taken wildly out of context, but they’re the sort of comments that you won’t necessarily get if you’re an Oxford-educated career politician living in a nice postcode in London.”

READ MORE: Global music legend Katy Perry, 41, opens up on ‘hardest year’

He added: “But I tell you what, they are the kind of comments you’ll hear in every pub in the country every evening.”

It is widely anticipated that if Mr Burnham – who was educated at Cambridge University – wins the by-election next week he will look to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – an Oxford graduate – for the Labour leadership.

Oxford University has been named the best in the world for 10 consecutive years in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.