Reform UK’s Makerfield byelection candidate appeared to doubt seriousness of Covid on X
Robert Kenyon, the Reform UK candidate for the Makerfield byelection, has faced scrutiny for his past comments doubting the seriousness of Covid and the efficacy of vaccines. His social media posts, which have since been deleted, included interactions with far-right figures and expressed skepticism about Covid vaccinations. The controversy has drawn criticism from political figures, highlighting concerns about his fitness for public office.
- ▪Robert Kenyon is running against Andy Burnham in the Makerfield byelection on June 18.
- ▪Kenyon has been linked to vaccine skepticism and previously advised a Covid-positive individual to stop taking boosters.
- ▪He has faced backlash for his comments on social media, including derogatory remarks about broadcaster Carol Vorderman.
The Guardian — UK publishes from United Kingdom and files mainly under news. We currently carry 254 of its stories.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/26/reform-makerfield-byelection-candidate-covid-x |
| Publication time | Tue, 26 May 2026 18:08:57 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-26T18:17:50.885Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-26T18:17:50.885Z |
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| Excerpt source | publisher body |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Cluster | M-3e4gWO_aYv |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
| Substitutes article? | No — link-out required for full text |
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| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Kenyon is a plumber who will run against Andy Burnham in the 18 June byelection. Photograph: Twitter/X ReformView image in fullscreenKenyon is a plumber who will run against Andy Burnham in the 18 June byelection. Photograph: Twitter/X ReformReform UKReform UK’s Makerfield byelection candidate appeared to doubt seriousness of Covid on XRobert Kenyon has been linked to vaccine scepticism and advised a person with the virus to ‘stop having boosters’Peter Walker Senior political correspondentTue 26 May 2026 14.08 EDTLast modified on Tue 26 May 2026 14.11 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe Reform UK candidate in this month’s Makerfield byelection appeared to doubt the seriousness of Covid and the efficacy of vaccines for the virus, in another tranche of messages unearthed from…
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