Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Reform UK’s mayoral candidate for Greater Lincolnshire, has openly disagreed with party leader Nigel Farage over his claims that children’s special educational needs (SEND) are being overdiagnosed. The rift highlights internal divisions within the party on a sensitive social issue.
Farage recently argued that many SEND and mental health diagnoses particularly those conducted remotely are excessive. “I think we are massively overdiagnosing,” he said, insisting his stance was “frank, not heartless.” His comments sparked backlash from advocates who say delays in diagnosis harm children’s development.
Jenkyns, a former Conservative minister and mother to a son with ADHD, pushed back, citing her personal experience. “All I can go on is my personal experience as a parent and as someone who’s neurodiverse myself,”. She described families waiting years for assessments, leaving children “way behind” academically.
The candidate revealed she moved her son to a private school after he fell two years behind in mainstream education. “As a parent, you do the best for your child,” she said, emphasizing the need for timely support. While acknowledging she and Farage “won’t always agree,” Jenkyns stopped short of directly criticizing him.
A Farage ally clarified his remarks focused on overdiagnosis of mental health conditions, not SEND broadly. However, the dispute risks alienating voters in a race where Jenkyns faces an uphill battle. The Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election, set for 2025, will test Reform’s appeal beyond its core anti-immigration messaging.
Critics seized on the discord, with one education advocate calling Farage’s comments “dangerously dismissive.” Meanwhile, Jenkyns’ emphasis on SEND funding may appeal to parents frustrated by strained local services a key issue in the region.
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