Carol Vorderman demands apology from Reform candidate over disgusting comments'

Carol Vorderman demanded an apology from Robert Kenyon, the Reform UK candidate for the Makerfield byelection, over offensive social media comments made in the past. She described him as a misogynist and a coward, pointing to deleted posts and the removal of his account. Vorderman said the abuse was directed at her and others and argued that being an “ordinary man” was not an excuse because the comments were made publicly. Danny Kruger defended Kenyon, saying the posts were inappropriate but not serious enough for removal from the party’s byelection candidacy. Kruger also argued that judging people for past private-intended conversations was not appropriate, while Vorderman rejected that framing.

"Carol Vorderman has demanded an apology from the Reform UK candidate in the upcoming Makerfield byelection for disgusting comments he made about her on social media in the past. The broadcaster and former Countdown numbers expert described Robert Kenyon, who Reform has backed to face Andy Burnham in next month's vote, as a cowardly man for a series of offensive posts made by the Wigan councillor that have since been deleted, along with his account."

"Vorderman, who last week posted a video in which she described Kenyon as a misogynist who made disgusting comments, told the Daily Mirror on Tuesday that she wanted an apology from Rob Kenyon, to me, and to all the other people he's abused online. Danny Kruger, who joined Reform last September, defended Kenyon's comments, telling BBC Radio 4 on Monday that while his posts were inappropriate, they were not viewed as serious enough within the party for Kenyon to be pulled as their byelection candidate."

"Kruger said he was not going to judge people for what are essentially regarded at the time and intended as private conversations. Kruger conceded it was clearly wrong for politicians to talk in that way, but added: He was not a politician at the time, he was an ordinary man from an ordinary place, and what he's done now is step forward, outraged at the state of our country and the state of his community. Vorderman dismissed Kruger's response, saying that being an ordinary man was no excuse and the fact that Kenyon's posts were made publicly meant they should be considered as online abuse."

"I'm sorry, Kenyon isn't an ordinary man. He's a cowardly man, which is why he deleted I'm 65, I grew up in north Wales in abject poverty, I spent half of my life living in the north, whether it was Leeds, or Manchester, or that strip of north Wales, said Vorderman. And he says Kenyon is just an ordinary man saying ordinary things. No, I'm sorry, Kenyon isn't an ordinary man. He's a cowardly man, which is why he deleted"

Read at www.theguardian.com