Newly elected Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns, refused to answer a Sky News reporter’s questions.

New Greater Lincolnshire Reform mayor Andrea Jenkyns abruptly quit a Sky News interview and refused to answer more questions as a journalist pushed her on a controversial topic. The tense interview took place shortly after Jenkyns made a speech calling out the “dirty” campaign run by her rival candidates. She accused Conservative politicians of calling the police on her, alleging they “contacted the mainstream media to smear me.”

She added: “I’ve fought many elections – four general elections, my third local election – but I’ve never experienced such negativity and soul-destroying campaigns against me like this one. The dirty tricks in US politics, I believe, is now being imported here into Britain.”

A Sky News journalist pressed her: “You said it was a dirty campaign, but you just used your speech to smear other candidates and to bring up all that dirty laundry. Do you think that’s appropriate?” Jenkyns took a breath before responding: “Well, I ask you, if the police were called on you for something unfounded, if you were reported to the council for something that was unfounded, wouldn’t you want to speak out about it?

“I’ve always been honest. I was honest about Conservative prime ministers when I was a Conservative. So I will always call out bad behaviour.”