The worst and best bits of the Burnham v Kenyon Question Time

“I’d rather have a career politician than a plumber who’s a sexist”:

Early in the programme, a young woman challenged Reform’s Kenyon over a string of previous misogynistic comments, including describing abortion as a cowardly act by women killing “defenceless babies” so they can “shag anyone they want”. His defence amounted to the oldest cliché in the book: how could he possibly be sexist when his mum and sister are women?

GOOD MOMENT

It’s official:

At times it was difficult to take Burnham’s insistence that he was focused on “place before party” entirely at face value. After all, if a Labour leadership vacancy opened up tomorrow, he’d probably be spotted on the first Avanti West Coast service down to London. Audience members, Fiona Bruce and fellow panellists all pushed him on the question to varying degrees throughout the evening. Then, after an audience member complained that politicians never answer a question directly on Question Time, Burnham finally did. If there’s a leadership contest, he said, he’ll run. The world’s biggest cat was finally out of the world’s most invisible bag.

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BAD MOMENT

Winging it:

One user on X observed that Kenyon’s answers resembled an ill-prepared student desperately blagging their way through a GCSE French speaking exam. Nowhere was that more obvious than during a discussion about the murder of Henry Nowak. “Violence is never the answer,” he repeated, before almost immediately pivoting to claims of two-tier policing and an attempt to accuse the Green Party of wanting to ban prisons. When reminded that Nigel Farage had called for “pure, cold rage”, Kenyon simply doubled down.

GOOD MOMENT

Political Advice, Free of Charge:

One audience member delivered what amounted to an unsolicited campaign strategy session. Telling Burnham, “I want you to win”, she argued that replacing Keir Starmer would benefit virtually everyone before asking why Labour wouldn’t match Reform’s proposal to raise the tax threshold. Burnham had barely begun answering before Fiona Bruce pointed out that it was no longer Reform policy. Cue a rather sheepish confirmation from Kenyon.

BAD MOMENT

NIMBYfield:

Discussing the thousands of new homes planned for the area, Kenyon attacked the developments as a blight on the local landscape. When Fiona Bruce asked whether he accepted there was a housing crisis, his answer was simple: blame immigration.

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GOOD MOMENT

The Adults Are Talking:

The Liberal Democrat candidate Jake Austin delivered one of the strongest interventions of the evening during discussion of Henry Nowak’s murder. While other parties, he argued, were attempting to find practical solutions, Reform had chosen to exploit the tragedy to stoke fear and division, despite the victim’s parents specifically asking politicians not to politicise their son’s death. 

BAD MOMENT

Pass the parcel:

Several times throughout the evening, Kenyon was asked how Reform would actually deliver some of its headline promises, whether that meant recruiting 30,000 extra police officers or dramatically reducing immigration. Each time, the answer was effectively the same: somebody else would work that out later. If your plan for governing boils down to “we’ll cross that bridge when someone else builds it”, voters might reasonably wonder why you’re asking for the job in the first place.

GOOD MOMENT

Three cheers for the woman in the glasses:

An audience member, rocking a great pair of specs, asked Kenyon how anyone could trust Reform when their leader accepts £5 million from a cryptobillionaire (and suddenly the party is extremely pro-crypto), and will say “up the RA” for a small fee on Cameo.

WORST MOMENT

Say Sorry To Carol:

Green Party candidate Sarah Wakefield challenged Kenyon to look directly into the camera and apologise to Carol Vorderman for a string of crude comments, including saying of “he’s only saying what we’re all thinking” of a man who wrote “, I want to smell and lick your arsehole”. It was a straightforward request, but the apology never arrived and Robert Kenyon’s chances of becoming Makerfield’s next MP receded.

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BEST MOMENT

The Leadership Audition:

Burnham handled the combustible subject of Henry Nowak’s murder and its aftermath with notable confidence. His criticism of Farage was particularly striking, arguing that the Reform leader knew full well that his rhetoric would inflame tensions and contribute to the disorder seen in Southampton.

More broadly, Burnham framed the debate as a choice about the country’s political future. “Do we want to carry on down this path towards a politics like the United States,” he asked, “where people don’t talk to each other? Or do we want to be true to Britain, find common ground and tackle difficult issues together?” It was a response that showed him to be the most experienced politician on the panel, as well as the most inspiring, and Andy Burnham’s chances of becoming Britain’s next PM rose.