Lisa Nandy criticises comments on Wigan Warriors' Pride matches made by Reform UK's Rob Kenyon

The Cherry and Whites marked their match against Catalans Dragons in 2020 as Pride Day when Israel Folau joined the French club, after his contract with Rugby Australia was terminated over homophobic comments on social media.

They also celebrated Wigan Pride in August 2022 during a match against Toulouse.

The Labour Party has now uncovered comments about the matches apparently made online by Mr Kenyon.

It is claimed he wrote posts describing it as a “cheap publicity stunt” and said he would not be attending either match, describing the 2022 fixture as “the sexual preference game”.

One post said to be written by Mr Kenyon in 2020 said: “It’s up to the parents to educate children about this issue, at a time when they see fit. Not for the club to start the ball rolling with kids asking questions. If I wanted to go to a Pride event I’d go to one, what I won’t have is going to watch a rugby match and have the club use this subject as a cheap marketing ploy and bringing identity politics into the club.”

Wigan MP and culture secretary Ms Nandy, who represents Labour, said: “Wigan Warriors are the greatest team in the history of the game and a source of enormous pride across our town. People here believe in backing each other and bringing communities together. This kind of divisive politics is out of step with our values and has no place in our town.”

A Reform UK spokesman said: “Opposing identity politics in sport is a perfectly legitimate stance. These are desperate attacks from a desperate Labour Party.

“Lisa Nandy is shamefully trying to politicise the club. Rob has probably spent more time queuing for Challenge Cup final tickets than she has spent at Wigan Warriors games.”

It is not the first time questions have been raised about Mr Kenyon’s use of social media, after he used a now-deleted X account to support an offensive post about Welsh broadcaster Carol Vorderman in 2021.

Addressing that at a press conference in Stubshaw Cross on Wednesday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “They’ve been taken wildly out of context, but they’re the sort of comments that you won’t necessarily get if you’re an Oxford-educated career politician living in a nice postcode in London.

“But I tell you what, they are the kind of comments you’ll hear in every pub in the country every evening, and we should be unapologetic that Rob is an ordinary bloke who’s carved quite a career for himself, had the guts to set up a business, served as an army reservist, is a patriot, likes his rugby, likes the odd pint, and said a few laddish things on social media 10 years ago.”

The Makerfield by-election candidates are: Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats), Count Binface (Count Binface Party), Andy Burnham (Labour and Co-operative Party), Dan Clarke (Libertarian Party), John Dyer (independent), Ed Gemmell (Climate Party), Paul Gould (independent), Howling Laud Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony Party), Rob Kenyon (Reform UK), Robert Pownall (independent), Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain), Sarah Wakefield (Green Party), Peter Ward (Rejoin EU Bring in PR) and Michael Winstanley (Conservative).