Robert Kenyon, confirmed as Reform UK's candidate for the Makerfield by-election (announced 19 May 2026), wrote in an online forum in 2014: "I agree totally, Russia are well within their rights to do what they have done as we did with the Falklands. However, will Latvia be next?" This was in response to a forum post comparing Russia's annexation of Crimea to Britain's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Multiple reputable news outlets — The Independent, LBC, and The Telegraph (via reporting cited by other outlets) — reported on these resurfaced comments. Reform UK defended Kenyon by stating he "did not explicitly support or endorse Russia's actions in Crimea" and that he "is fully opposed to Russia's illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine," while noting the comments were made before he entered politics. However, the written record is unambiguous: he did state Russia was "well within their rights" regarding Crimea. Starmer's paraphrase — "within its rights" to "invade Crimea" — is a very close rendering of Kenyon's actual words ("well within their rights to do what they have done"), with only minor wording differences (singular "its" vs. plural "their," and "invade" vs. "do what they have done"). These differences do not materially alter the meaning. Sources: - The Independent: "Reform's Makerfield candidate under fire for resurfaced Russia Crimea comments" — https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/makerfield-byelection-reform-robert-kenyon-b2984410.html - LBC: "What did Reform's Makerfield candidate Robert Kenyon write on social media?" — https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/what-reform-robert-kenyon-makerfield-social-media-5HjdbT9_2/ - The Daily Britain: "Reform's Makerfield candidate said Russia was 'well within their rights' to annex Crimea" — https://thedailybritain.co.uk/kenyon-reform-makerfield-russia-crimea-rights-ukraine-2026/ - BBC News: "Reform announces Robert Kenyon as Makerfield by-election candidate" — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3pwdwlk0yo