He's disgusting. We've fought so hard but it seems like he wants to take us backwards

AT the Bickershaw Village Community Club to the east of the Makerfield constituency, a group of women are gathered over tea and Mr Kipling French Fancies.

- BY ROS WYNNE JONES and CLAIRE DONNELLY

Flanked by embroidery machines, buttons and pieces of fabric, the Miss-Places women's group are chatting about an election that has brought a cavalcade of canvassers, campaigners and TV crews to their once-quiet corner of England.

Regardless of their political views, they all agree on one thing: The Reform UK candidate, Robert Kenyon - who has refused to apologise for misogynist social media posts, and once admitted to being a sexist - is giving the men of Makerfield a bad name.

“My husband passed away a true gentleman,” says Theresa Robinson, 57, who lost her beloved Alan last year. “He would never have behaved like that. I've got three sons and they wouldn't behave like that - and I wouldn't want my daughter going out with someone like him either.”

Reform’s unofficial social media campaign has tried to paint Kenyon as “handsome Rob, the plucky plumber”, but locally women refer to him as “Sexist Rob” after remarks he made about TV’s Carol Vorderman and other women.

As well as endorsing a highly offensive post about the lynchpin of the Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards - adding a thumbs-up and laughing emoji and saying “he’s only saying what we’re all thinking” - other social media posts from Kenyon include his view that “women can't ref, can't drive or give directions”, women pundits on Sky “are not up to the job” and crude comments about women's rugby league.

Kenyon has also made vile comments about women who have abortions - “don't dole out ‘what if someone is raped by their brother’” - and said: “English women just walk around with their fat bellies and odd shapes pushing a pram in their PJs.”

In recent days, Kenyon has admitted the graphic, sexually explicit post he replied to about Vorderman was a “disgusting comment”, and was “something I wouldn't say now”.