A Controversial Former Tory Minister Has Become Reform UK's First Mayor

Nigel Farage and Andrea Jenkyns during the election campaign.A controversial former Tory minister has become Reform UK’s first ever mayor.Andrea Jenkyns romped home in the newly-created post in Greater Lincolnshire.She comfortably beat the Conservatives’ Rob Waltham by nearly 40,000 votes, with Labour’s Jason Stockwood in third place.Jenkyns – who was made a Dame in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours – lost her seat at the general election, when she stood as a Conservative.But she defected to Reform UK last November, just weeks after saying she wouldn’t.In her victory speech, Jenkyns said: “To the people of Lincolnshire, thank you for putting your trust in me. I will work tirelessly for you every day.”But she added: “I’ve fought many elections – four general elections, my third local elections – I’ve never experienced such negativity and soul-destroying campaigns against me as this one. It was soul-destroying.“The dirty tricks in the US politics has now been 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 [candidate’s] husband pushed for a hearing at the council, my barrister had to represent me. The case was dismissed.“The campaign was also filled with irony, as one of the candidates said I was parachuted in – she said in her South African accent.“They undemocratically tried to remove me from the ballot, but I will say no more on this and I wish them all well.”Jenkyns – who defeated Ed Balls at the 2015 general election – has hit the headlines in the past after being involved in a number of controversies during her time as a Tory MP.They included giving the middle finger to protesters outside 10 Downing Street in 2022 when then-PM Boris Johnson resigned.She also once hit out at universities offering “Harry Potter studies”, despite the fact that no such course exists anywhere.Related...Andrea Jenkyns Could Be Reform UK’s First Mayor – Here Are Her Most Unforgettable MomentsTory MP Andrea Jenkyns Quits As Ministerial Aide Over BrexitTory MP Blasts Theresa May's Brexit Plan During PMQs

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