Category Archives: POLITICS

Exclusive: Reform’s Makerfield Candidate Praises Last Labour Government In Unearthed Comments

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Reform UK’s Makerfield candidate previously praised the last Labour government in unearthed comments seen by HuffPost UK.

Robert Kenyon is standing against Labour candidate and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham in the crunch Makerfield by-election.

Kenyon was once pretty positive about Labour’s changes in office – which former minister Burnham had been a part of.

He claimed “god knows where I would have ended up” without the government’s apprenticeship initiatives.

In posts dating back to 2013 on a since-deleted forum for rugby fans, he wrote: “If it weren’t for the last Labour Government god knows where I would have ended up, without their Asset Training Scheme I wouldn’t have been able to complete my apprenticeship which was funded by the Government at the cost of £50 a week payed [sic] to me which they invested well and now I don’t need to rely on them.

“Like I said, the benefits system needs overhauling massively to rid the idle from the taxpayers hard earned but first the opportunity to get into work and training must be implemented but somehow I can’t see the Tories doing that.”

A Reform UK spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “Rob represents the tens of thousands of formerly loyal Labour voters in Makerfield that the party has since abandoned. Labour has completely betrayed its traditional working-class northern base who are now backing Reform UK in their droves.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “It’s good to hear that Robert Kenyon is proud of the work of the last Labour government. So are we.

“From lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty, to introducing the minimum wage, Labour is building on that proud legacy today.

“While Reform focus on spreading toxic division and Robert Kenyon is mired in scandal, Labour’s Andy Burnham is focused on delivering on local people’s priorities and bringing communities together.”

Kenyon has attracted plenty of scrutiny after his internet presence has been unearthed in the days since he was announced as Reform’s Makerfield candidate.

He said women can’t “ref, drive or give directions” on an online rugby fan forum in the 2010s, and claimed women presenting rugby games on TV “aren’t up to the job and only there to tick a box”, adding: “I’m sexist, sorry but I am.”

He also claimed women get abortions for “vanity purposes” so they can “shag anyone they want” and described gay people as “poofs” who “mince about” on TV.

The Wigan councillor also once cast doubt on the Covid vaccine on his now-deleted X account, saying: “It’s not making people sicker, I’ve no booster and had covid last week asymptomatic.”

He suggested he did not vote for Brexit too, writing on social media in 2019: “So anyone who thinks I love Trump, voted Brexit, read the Daily Mail, live in the 1950s, a Tory and 103 is wrong. I’m none of the above.”

In another forum post from 2014, he said: “Russia are well within their rights to do what they have done as we did with the Falklands.”

Anti-fascist group Hope Not Hate also revealed that in 2021 Kenyon interacted with a social media message sent to the Countdown host, which read: “Happy birthday Carol, my God I would love to smell and lick your arsehole.”

Kenyon replied, “he’s only saying what we’re all thinking,” along with a thumbs up and a laughing emoji.

In response to the backlash about Vorderman, Kenyon told Manchester Evening News: “I’m not a polished politician.

“I am rough around the edges. I have made mistakes in my life. I’m not perfect. Nobody is. Not a single person in the world is perfect.

“I think everybody does say things that eventually they regret.”

Touching on the Vorderman backlash, Kenyon said: “It was a crude attempt at a joke to probably about 50 followers.

“No offence was meant, and it’s not something I’d do now.”

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Reform Dismisses Sexism Row Around Makerfield Candidate As ‘Locker Room Banter’

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Reform UK has dismissed the sexism row around its Makerfield candidate as “locker room banter”.

Wigan councillor Robert Kenyon is standing against Labour’s Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who is hoping to oust Keir Starmer as prime minister if he wins this by-election.

Kenyon has been repeatedly accused of misogynism in recent days after multiple outlets unearthed his controversial online comments.

An account linked to Kenyon wrote women can’t “ref, drive or give directions” on an online rugby fan forum in the 2010s, adding: “I’m sexist, sorry but I am.”

The same account also made disparaging remarks about women’s appearances.

A Reform spokesperson told the Independent: “These comments, which are little more than locker room banter, were made more than a decade ago – well before Rob was in politics.”

That response only worsened the backlash on social media.

Labour MP Luke Charters replied on X: ”‘Locker-room banter’ is a pathetic excuse for blatant misogyny from a grown man.

“Reform could have called out the overt sexism and condemned it. Instead, they framed it as an ‘establishment hit job’.

“Tells you everything you need to know about them,” he added, along with a dinosaur emoji.

Many other social media accounts hit out at Reform for dismissing misogyny as “banter” – and for using the American term for changing rooms.

When approached about the backlash, Reform’s spokesperson said: “We simply don’t care about establishment hit jobs. We fully back Rob and are confident he will be an excellent MP for Makerfield.”

It comes after campaign group Hope Not Hate published a series of messages it says were sent from Kenyon’s X account last week, which include sexual and sexist language, particularly around presenter Carol Vorderman.

The former Countdown host described Kenyon as a “cowardly misogynist” over the comments and has demanded an apology.

Reform MP Danny Kruger defended those remarks on the Today programme, telling the BBC: “What you’re seeing there is obviously a private comment.

“The great challenge for social media for private people is that they use it as if they are chatting to their friends in the pub.

“It was a clearly inappropriate thing to say. I’m not going to judge people for what was intended as private conversations. Clearly that is not the kind of comment you would want an elected politician to say.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Former SNP Chief Pleads Guilty To Embezzling £400,000 From Party

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Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been remanded into custody after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 from the party at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The 62-year-old, who is the estranged husband of former SNP leader and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, admitted the charges on Monday morning. He will be sentenced on June 23.

He was charged with embezzling the funds from the party between August 2010 and October 2022.

Murrell was the SNP’s chief executive between 2001 and 2023, the same year in which he was first arrested as part of Operation Branchform, a Police Scotland probe into the party’s finances. He was charged in April, 2024.

Sturgeon was also arrested and questioned by detectives, but was never charged with any offences.

The indictment against Murrell included allegations that in 2020 he used party funds to buy a £124,550 motorhome for his own personal use.

He and Sturgeon had previously been one of the most powerful couples in UK politics.

She served for more than eight years as first minister and SNP leader, while Murrell was the party’s chief executive.

In January last year, Sturgeon announced she and Murrell had “decided to end” their marriage after nearly 15 years.

Responding to Murrell’s guilty plea, Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston of Police Scotland said: “Peter Murrell has shown utter contempt for the high public trust placed in him as the chief executive of a political party and his position in the wider political establishment of Scotland for many years.

“He abused his privileged position with access to Scottish National Party funds to divert cash into his own accounts and bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Nigel Farage Slams Elon Musk For Backing Rival Right-Wing Party In Makerfield By-Election

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Nigel Farage has hit out at Elon Musk for backing a rival right-wing party in next month’s crucial Makerfield by-election.

The Reform UK leader accused the X owner of trying “to split the right of British politics” by supporting Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party.

Lowe was elected as a Reform MP in 2024, but left the party to set up his own outfit following a spectacular bust-up with Farage.

Voters in Makerfield will go to the polls on June 18 in what is expected to be a close fight between Labour’s Andy Burnham and Robert Kenyon of Reform UK.

An opinion published at the weekend put Burnham on 43% and Kenyon on 40%.

Restore Britain are on 7% – a level of support which would be enough to swing the seat for Reform if those voters backed Kenyon instead.

Musk made clear his support for Restore by sharing a post on X by Rupert Lowe in which he claimed his party “is under brutal assault by the establishment”.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Farage said Andy Burnham would be “delighted” at Musk’s endorsement of Restore.

He said: “Elon Musk has decided he will try to split the right of British politics as best he can. This is supporting a party that’s one man with a social media account. Quite what he’s trying to achieve, I have no idea.”

Farage and Musk have been engaged in an ongoing feud since the tech billionaire called for him to be dumped as Reform leader last year.

Musk turned on Farage shortly after the pair met at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort amid claims he was preparing to donate up to $100 million to the party.

It came after Farage moved to distance himself from far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who has been praised by Musk.

He said: “We’re a political party aiming to win the next general election. He’s not what we need.”

Responding to Musk’s call for him to be dumped as Reform leader, Farage said: “Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree.

“My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Ukrainian MP Calls Out ‘Moment Of Weakness’ From UK Over Russian Sanctions

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A Ukrainian MP has called out the UK for its “moment of weakness” after the government decided to continue allowing the import of Russian oil products.

Labour triggered intense backlash this week after it declared it was pushing back plans to close a loophole in its sanctions against Moscow.

The government unveiled a set of temporary licences which will allow diesel and jet fuel – refined in third countries but made from Russian oil – into the country.

Ministers insist the ban will come in eventually, but chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones refused to give any indication of a timeline when speaking to Sky News.

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik said the announcement came as a “surprise” to her, and described it as a “point of weakness”.

“At first it was a surprise because the United Kingdom is one of the countries that first has been our strongest partner, but also a country where all the parties are supportive of Ukraine, on different levels,” she told Sky News.

“So to hear that there was this like moment of weakness, a point of weakness was surprising. And I believe this is what was discussed between the [Ukrainian] president and the prime minister.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer spoke on the phone on Wednesday evening.

She continued: “But let me tell you this, no matter what happens, Russia is always laughing that Europe is paying for the war from both pockets, from one supporting Ukraine and from another one paying for Russian gas and oil.

“Is it worthy of continuing doing that? Because it is definitely worthy of supporting Ukraine. And we really hope that all our partners, all European countries, will every day go away from purchasing Russian gas and oil rather than trying to move back a little bit.”

Jones tried to clear up some of the confusion around the controversial decision on Sunday, saying it was “totally wrong” to say the decision stemmed from concerns around jet fuel shortages linked to the war in Iran.

He said: “No, that’s totally wrong. Totally wrong.

“One of my jobs in the Cabinet Office is to chair contingency planning, and I’ve been spending many hours doing that in relation to the impact of the Middle East on the UK.”

Jones said the UK has other sources from around the world to rely on.

However, the decision still stunned shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel.

She said: “When the government says they’re introducing new sanctions, they might be introducing them – but there’s no framework for that. There’s no date coming forward. And in the meantime, they’re now allowing and enabling Russian imported oil to come into the United Kingdom.

“So they’ve contradicted themselves. And clearly that is not helpful when it comes to the Ukraine conflict at all.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene Offers ‘Dangerous’ Theory On How Trump Will Stay In Power

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Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Thursday she is “concerned” that President Donald Trump could use war in Iran or elsewhere to stay in power after his second term. (Watch the video below.)

Greene referred to an exchange between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy last summer. The Ukrainian president told Trump that elections were suspended while his country was at war against Russia. That aroused Trump’s interest.

Host Alex Jones cued up the clip.

“So you say, during the war, you can’t have elections,” Trump said. “So let me just see. Three and a half years from now, so you mean if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections? Oh, that’s good.”

Jones went off on a tangent about Trump’s musing this week about running for prime minister of Israel, but Greene kept to her point.

“So that type of behaviour is someone planting an idea over and over and over again,” Greene said. “He constantly says it so that he can normalise the idea and test the support and test people’s reactions. But saying it over and over and over again normaliaes the idea. And I think it’s incredibly dangerous, and no one should ever accept it. Absolutely, absolutely not. There cannot be a third term, no. That’s against our laws. That’s against the Constitution. There is no third term. And if this country is at war, no, our election should not be canceled, absolutely not.”

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⚠️MTG Is Concerned About Trump Canceling Elections & Declaring Dictatorship During Wartime!

\"There Cannot Be A 3rd Term, That’s Against The Constitution, And If This Country Is At War, Our Elections Should Not Be Canceled!\"

⬇️WATCH ALEX JONES LIVE⬇️https://t.co/ddnrZ8H0kv pic.twitter.com/eqhrw9udIv

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) May 21, 2026

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⚠️MTG Is Concerned About Trump Canceling Elections & Declaring Dictatorship During Wartime!

“There Cannot Be A 3rd Term, That’s Against The Constitution, And If This Country Is At War, Our Elections Should Not Be Canceled!”

⬇️WATCH ALEX JONES LIVE⬇️https://t.co/ddnrZ8H0kv pic.twitter.com/eqhrw9udIv

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) May 21, 2026

Trump’s contemplations of an illegal third term are old hat. But a somewhat novel theory emerged this week of how he might try to pull off staying in the White House by literally staying at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

MS NOW host Chris Hayes joked that he was starting to believe speculation that Trump would barricade himself in the bunker purportedly being built under his ballroom project.

Greene and Jones, former Trump disciples who swore him off, both love a conspiracy theory. So there’s some entertainment value in listening to the two extreme figures chat.

Jones’ Infowars has been shut down, but he’s now broadcasting “The Alex Jones Show” on the so-called Alex Jones Network.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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