Nigel Farage dismisses Reform candidate’s misogynistic comments as ‘pub talk’

• Nigel Farage defended his Makerfield by-election candidate, Robert Kenyon, over past misogynistic and anti-abortion comments, dismissing them as "pub talk" and "laddish things".
• Kenyon, a Reform UK candidate, had made comments on a now-deleted X account, including supporting an offensive post about Carol Vorderman, claiming women cannot drive, and stating "I'm sexist".
• He also described abortion as a "cowardly act of murdering a defenceless baby" and suggested women use it for "vanity purposes".
• Farage, speaking at a press conference in Makerfield, claimed the comments were a decade old and taken out of context, while also unveiling a new tax policy for the self-employed.
• The Makerfield by-election is scheduled for Thursday 18 June, with growing speculation that Labour's Andy Burnham is expected to win.

IN FULL

‘So what?’: Farage dismisses Reform candidate’s misogyny as ‘a few laddish things on social media’