‘There’s no way I can go for someone that holds those opinions, and it saddens me that any woman would’
Pauline Round, 79(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Navigating the streets of Hindley, you would be hard-pressed to judge whether it is Reform or Labour who hold greater sway over this corner of Wigan.
Red and turquoise posters, stickers and boards crop up with near equal frequency in the gardens and windows of the Makerfield town. But there appears to be one demographic for whom the by-election vote seems clear.
After more than three hours in Hindley, including multiple laps of the town centre, trekking through residential streets, stopping every woman we came across, not one told us they planned to vote Reform’s Robert Kenyon.
Click here for our dedicated Makerfield by-election newsletter with exclusive interviews and analysis
The vast majority of them then told us they were backing Labour and Andy Burnham. A few had not yet made up their minds or did not plan to vote.
Vote Andy Burnham board in Hindley, Makerfield(Image: Manchester Evening News)
For many of those we spoke to, comments alleged to have been made by the plumber-turned-councillor prior to his entry into politics appeared to be a significant factor in their decision. These allegedly include responding to a sexually explicit comment about Carol Vorderman with ‘He’s only saying what we’re all thinking’ – something Mr Kenyon later defended as a ‘crass joke’.
He has further been accused of saying women get abortions for ‘vanity purposes’ and ‘can’t ref, drive or give directions’. Reform UK has stood by Mr Kenyon, saying he ‘isn’t a polished, professional politician’, ‘doesn’t speak like one’ and, in the party’s opinion, that is ‘precisely why he’ll be a straight-talking, effective voice for normal working people in Makerfield’.
However, one female voter, who gave her name just as Leah, told us: “There’s no way I can go for someone that holds those opinions, and it saddens me that any woman would.”
The 41-year-old said she would be voting for Andy Burnham with the hope that he becomes the country’s next Prime Minister. Leah had considered voting for the Greens, but fears this would be a ‘wasted vote’. She also believes that Wigan has become quite a ‘racist area’ and people are voting Reform for ‘one reason only’ – to stop the small boats.
Leslie Yates, 68(Image: Manchester Evening News)
She said: “I don’t know so much about Andy Burnham, other than that there’s a lot of golden oldies around here that have high opinions on him. I would say it’s hard not to take on other people’s opinions, but I think given the Reform candidate and his views on women and abortion, it makes it quite clear cut for me which one I’d go for […]
“I’ve got friends, children that are studying politics at the moment, and they’ve come to the opinion, if you vote Burnham, you’re voting potentially for a new Prime Minister, and if you don’t, then nothing changes. People in Wigan voting Reform, I don’t know where they think these boats are coming from, but they’re not coming up the canal, are they?
“So it’s not going to change anything in Wigan or nationally to vote for Reform here in Wigan.”
Car sales manager Caroline Jones, 48, said she too will ‘definitely be voting Andy Burnham’. She too feels the Reform vote is ‘very driven by racism’, with the whole campaign ‘seemingly built on stopping the boats’.
On Robert Kenyon, she added: “Very anti-women, saying that women can’t drive, as if we’re going back to the dark ages and they should stay at home and look after the kids and wash up and look after the men.”
Ms Jones told us, in her opinion, Mr Kenyon’s comments ‘most definitely’ impact on his suitability for running for the Makerfield seat.
Reform UK board in Hindley, Makerfield(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Retiree, Pauline Round, 79, said she too has decided to give Labour her backing, saying she normally votes for the party. Mrs Round told us she had actually met Mr Burnham ‘a long time ago’ and liked him at the time. However, her support of him now comes with a caveat.
But if he wins the seat ‘and doesn’t do the right thing’, her vote will be going elsewhere in future. Her husband has dementia and their recent experiences have made the NHS and social care a key priority for her.
She said: “I worked all my life, and because we’re over that [financial] threshold, you can’t get nothing. So you have to use your money up. My husband’s just come out of hospital and it’s all rush, rush, rush, trying to free the beds up.”
Join our new Makerfield by-election WhatsApp community by clicking this link for the latest news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The NHS was also a concern for Leslie Yates, who thinks she will be backing Andy Burnham in part out of concern about other parties’ plans for healthcare.
She said: “I’ve got MS and I need the health service […] Honestly, I don’t know what to do, and I’m in a dilemma. I just don’t know. I think I’ll end up having to go back to Andy Burnham.”
On Mr Kenyon’s comments, the 68-year-old retired hairdresser added: “I’m an independent woman. I drive a car. Not a chance I’d be voting for them at all, if that’s what they stand for. They seem very male chauvinist pigs, very male chauvinist.”
Tracey Birmingham, 55, said she ‘hopes Andy Burnham does get in because he’s done a lot of good things for Manchester’, raising public transport as an example. She added: “I would back Andy Burnham because he has done a hell of a lot and he’s a genuine and local guy. He has done a heck of a lot. He’s a good guy.”
She was shocked to hear of the comments made towards Carol Vorderman, saying ‘that’s wrong because Carol Vorderman is a nice lady’. Those comments ‘go against’ Mr Kenyon as a candidate, she believes.
Tracey Birmingham, 55(Image: Manchester Evening News)
For Ms Birmingham, more youth provision is a key priority for the area: “A lot of these kids are good kids. They need somewhere where they can go, like a community centre, like a sports centre or wherever. There’s nothing for them and it’s a shame. The kids who I know are really good kids and they’re nice kids.”
The stance of the women we spoke to stands in stark contrast to the more divided views of the men with whom we have previously discussed Mr Kenyon’s comments. While some men have condemned them as ‘disgusting’, others likened them to ‘pub banter’ or questioned whether they actually had been said at all.
Conversations today also seem to present a divergence from previous feelings about Reform in this area. Hindley and Hindley Green both voted in Reform councillors at this year’s local elections and, in both cases, those elected secured more than half – around 52pc – of the vote share.
A visit to the town in the immediate wake of the by-election being called also evidenced a strong pro-Reform sentiment. The changing tone raises questions, then, over how much damage Mr Kenyon’s comments have done to Reform’s chances and how much sway the female vote will have come polling day.
A Reform spokesman has previously said Mr Kenyon made his comments before entering politics. The spokesman said: “We fully back Cllr Kenyon. He is an excellent, local candidate who we are confident will be a superb MP for Makerfield.”
The spokesman added: “These comments were made long before Rob was in politics. He isn’t a polished, professional politician and doesn’t speak like one. That’s precisely why he’ll be a straight-talking, effective voice for normal working people in Makerfield.”