Reform UK and Restore Britain exchange accusations in Makerfield byelection buildup

The Story

The buildup to the Makerfield byelection has seen a public dispute between Reform UK and the Restore Britain party, with personal attacks and policy disagreements aired in social media posts and media interviews. Reform UK chairman Richard Tice called a column that described Restore Britain candidate Paul Lowe as “sick making” a “superb” piece. Meanwhile, social media posts attributed to Reform UK candidate Mark Kenyon suggested he did not support Brexit, though Reform insisted he did vote for it. A Reform MP accidentally described the race as between Labour and Restore before correcting herself. An internal Reform disagreement also emerged over plans to deport foreign nationals living in social housing.

Key Facts

• Richard Tice described a column calling Paul Lowe “sick making” as “superb”.
• Social media posts attributed to Mark Kenyon from March 2019 indicated he did not support Brexit; Reform insisted he did vote for it.
• Reform MP Sarah Pochin said the Makerfield byelection was a two‑horse race between Labour and Restore, then corrected to “Reform and Labour”.
• Zia Yusuf rebuked Robert Jenrick for equivocating on deportation of foreign nationals in social housing, stating that such individuals “automatically fail our economic test and will be deported”.
• Kenyon accused Lowe of lying about his stance on immigration.

Conflicting Reports

The article presents conflicting accounts over Mark Kenyon’s Brexit vote: social media posts attributed to him suggest he did not support Brexit, while Reform UK insists he voted for it. Additionally, Reform MP Sarah Pochin initially described the byelection race as between Labour and Restore before correcting herself to name Labour and Reform.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Richard Tice (Reform UK chairman)
• Paul Lowe (Restore Britain candidate)
• Mark Kenyon (Reform UK candidate)
• Sarah Pochin (Reform MP)
• Zia Yusuf (Reform UK home affairs spokesperson)
• Robert Jenrick (Conservative MP, referenced in Reform UK dispute)

Sources: The Guardian