Watch: New mayor Andrea Jenkyns has already had press meltdown

Andrea Jenkyns, the former Conservative MP, won the newly created Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty with a majority of 44,000 votes for Reform.

In a victory speech punctuated by angry attacks on her opponents, Jenkyns said: “I take my hat off to our leader, Farage. I know one day he will make a great prime minister.”

Three losing candidates – including Labour and the Conservatives – walked off stage without shaking her hand after she triumphed.

Dame Andrea had declared that Channel migrants should live in tents, suggesting that if the policy is ‘good enough’ for France it should be good enough for the UK.

She said: ‘Reform will reset Britain to its glorious past. We will tackle illegal migration. I say no to putting people in hotels. Tents are good enough for France, they should be good enough for here in Britain.’

Watch

After her speech, she had a row with Sky News over the comments, eventually pushing away the microphone and refusing to answer the reporter’s questions. 

She said she stood by her comments about tents for migrants.

Asked about calling out a rival’s South African accent, she said there was an ‘irony of saying someone’s being parachuted in who’s not even from the country’.

‘I went to school, college, university… I think I’m not going to answer any more of your questions… 

‘Do you not understand irony?’ she said before moving away. 

Andrea Jenkyns having her first press meltdown after winning mayor

It’s ok to be a bit racist if it’s a joke, a play on words😳

The gap for the far right to squeeze in has widened, the rest need to shape up or fuck knows where we’ll be in 10 years pic.twitter.com/Gt0sdzvGCN

— kerry ✊💙Save Our NHS (@hewitson10) May 2, 2025

Reactions

1.

Andrea Jenkins newly elected Reform Mayor for Greater Lincs & Marjorie Taylor Greene separated at birth? Not the blonde hair but the nasty far right rhetoric, when asked an awkward question they storm off. Andrea want migrants to live in tents. pic.twitter.com/ERCSEAOi0C

— Steve Wilson (@wilson_cllr) May 2, 2025

2.

You voted for a woman who gave her middle finger to the general public when she was education minister, accused a BBC audience, for which anyone can apply to be apart of, loves Boris and insulted someone for having an African accent! #AndreaJenkyns #Embarrassing #Lincolnshire pic.twitter.com/ZTcMJobaQo

— Saffron✨ (@s_ffron7) May 2, 2025

3.

Why does Jenkyns remind me of Liz Truss?!

— Carole Hagan🖤🇪🇺💙 (@carole_hagan) May 2, 2025

4.

@reformparty_uk are not at all racist then? https://t.co/IrPhKMdt2T

— Muguruki 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇵🇸 (@Muguruki1) May 2, 2025

5.

The thing is people from Reform know exactly what they are doing by making a joke about someone's accent. It's 'othering' they have to throw this meat out to their (racist) voters https://t.co/Rd39eaT4b1

— Fran T 🏳️‍🌈 🇪🇸 @frankmartin10.bsky.social (@TremlFran) May 2, 2025

6.

That middle finger was not a one-off! https://t.co/dpoLE8f9q4

— Lord Steve of Toffeeland (@marrtoffee) May 2, 2025

7.

The Marjorie Taylor green of England https://t.co/db3dsMRT5I

— Spanish Dan (@SpanishDan1) May 2, 2025

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