New Reform mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns stormed out of a Sky News interview after being challenged over her decision to refer to a rival’s accent in a spiky acceptance speech
New Reform UK mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns angrily stormed out of a TV interview when she was challenged over a spiky acceptance speech.
The divisive former Tory MP pushed away a Sky News microphone after being asked why she had chosen to mention a rival’s accent while moaning about “dirty tricks”. The mayor for Greater Lincolnshire had whined she was accused of being “parachuted in” by an opponent with a South African accent.
Asked why she had referred to the woman’s nationality in a live TV exchange, Dame Andrea said: “Because the irony of saying someone’s being parachuted in who’s not even from the country.”
She was then asked to clarify if she thought someone with an overseas accent could not be from Lincolnshire. The Reform mayor cut the interview short, saying: “I think actually, I’m not even going to answer any more of your questions.
“I think that your questioning is quite divisive. You’re looking into things when it was a little play with words, it was a little joke because of the irony. Do you not understand irony?”
READ MORE: Ex-Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns wins mayoral race for Reform UK and takes swipe at rivals
It came after Dame Andrea complained about her opponents’ conduct during the campaign in an ill-tempered acceptance speech. Her rivals walked off the stage as she spoke.
Dame Andrea was accused of breaking election rules by standing despite not living in the area – a complaint that was dismissed. In her acceptance speech the Reform mayor claimed she had been the victim of US-style dirty tricks.
She said: “I’ve never experienced such negativity and soul destroying campaigns against me like this one. It was soul destroying. The dirty tricks in the US politics, I believe it’s now being imported here into Britain. The Conservatives called the police on me and implied I slept with political friends.
“They contacted the mainstream media to smear me. The independent’s husband pushed for a hearing at the council. My barrister had to represent me. The case was dismissed.”
And she chuckled as she referred to the rival’s accent, saying: “The campaign was also filled with irony. As one of the candidates stated, I was parachuted in. She said, you know, in her South African accent.
“Now they undemocratically tried to remove me from the ballot, but I will say no more on this and I wish them all well.”
Dame Andrea, who switched to Nigel Farage’s party last year after being kicked out at the general election, won 104,133 votes. She comfortably beat the Tories, who came second with 64,585.
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