Matt Goodwin challenged over campaigning for ‘sexist’ Robert Kenyon on Question Time

Reform’s Matt Goodwin was put on the spot on Question Time last night over why he endorsed and campaigned for ‘sexist’ Reform candidate Robert Kenyon. 

The panel was discussing Russell Brand’s sentencing this week and predatory behaviour by other men with power in the media and other industries.

Goodwin asked “The point for me is really the question of what do we do about it?”.

He then quickly shifted the conversation onto grooming gangs, which he called the “most prominent example” of violence against women and girls in the UK.

He cited Dame Louise Casey questioning why the government had not implemented her recommendations 10 years after she published her review. 

Summing up his interpretation of Casey’s comments, he said: “As a country, if we cannot respond to the industrial-scale abuse of girls and children, then what hope do we have of resolving the much bigger issue facing our society?”.

Comedian Deborah Frances-White interjected, stating: “Can I ask you a question Matt?”.

“You endorsed Rob Kenyon to stand for Makerfield. Rob Kenyon said in his own words explicitly, ‘I’m sexist, I’m sorry but I am’” Frances-White said.

The Guilty Feminist podcaster added: “Rob Kenyon publicly sexually harassed Carol Vorderman, he tagged her in that post.”

In 2021, Kenyon responded to a social media post about Vorderman which said: “My god I’d love to smell and lick your arsehole”. In response, Kenyon commented: “He’s only saying what we’re all thinking”.

Frances-White continued, saying that Nigel Farage excused Kenyon’s comments as “laddish banter” and claimed “you will hear this banter in every pub in this country tonight”.

She said that for an article for the Nerve she went around to pubs and asked men what they thought, and whether it was “the kind of banter they’d hear”.

“They said no, they thought it was disgusting,” Frances-White said.

“You are demonising brown working class men and white working class men. You’re basically demonising working class men as misogynists,” Frances-White claimed.

Goodwin said “I’ve not demonised anybody”, adding that the sexual exploitation of children in the UK is “something we as a country have still not addressed properly”.

He added: “Regarding candidates that have made absolutely disgusting statements…”

Frances-White interrupted: “Which you had your arm around him and you endorsed him and you campaigned for him.”

“Hold on a minute, I campaigned once in that seat,” Goodwin said.

“Once is enough, isn’t it?,” Frances-White replied.

Goodwin tried to downplay the issue of misogyny within Reform, stating: “Can I finish? Every single political party on this panel has wrestled with the same issue.”

“I’m not going to sit here and name the Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Labour politicians. This is not about Reform UK.

“This is about a problem which is endemic in our society. I’m happy to say I would not campaign for that person ever again, and personally would not want that person to stand for Reform UK ever again.”

He added that he did not share Farage’s view that all men use such “banter”.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward