finance
Reform UK reviews candidate comments after Makerfield byelection loss
Reform UK is examining whether its candidate’s social media posts affected the outcome of Thursday’s Makerfield byelection. Andy Burnham won 55 percent of the vote, while Reform’s candidate received 15,696 votes.
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Reform UK is examining whether sexist and lewd social media posts by its Makerfield candidate may have reduced support in Thursday’s byelection. The party’s candidate, a local plumber, finished more than 9,000 votes behind Andy Burnham, who received 55 percent of the vote.
Canvassers from multiple parties reported that voters, especially women, cited the posts as a reason for not supporting the candidate.
Campaign and result Reform had aimed for at least 18,000 votes in a contest it expected to be competitive. The candidate increased the party’s share of the vote by 2.7 percentage points compared with 2024. A Reform activist said the party advised the candidate not to apologise for the posts.
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