Uh oh. There’s trouble in paradise as Reform UK has suspended four councillors on Kent county council after a leaked video revealed a rather lot of infighting in their ranks. Councillors were captured complaining about ‘backbiting’ and being ignored by leader Linden Kemkaran – formerly of this parish – who fumed that they should ‘f***ing suck it up’ if they didn’t agree with her decision making. Oo er.
Now four councillors on Reform’s flagship county council have lost the whip, with Paul Thomas, Oliver Bradshaw, Bill Barrett and Maxine Fothergill ‘suspended pending investigation’. The party’s spokesperson added that the move comes after ‘evidence that they brought the party into disrepute’. It means that Nigel Farage’s Reform party now has just 50 councillors with the whip, after winning 57 seats in the May local elections: two other local politicians have been suspended while another jumped ship to Reform.
Footage emerged over the weekend that showed Kemkaran lambasting fed-up councillors, telling them they would be ‘screwed’ if they didn’t balance Kent’s budget. After the video was circulated, the council leader told her colleagues in a weekend email that she had launched a leak inquiry for the ‘cowards’ who had shared the clip. Other political parties are enjoying the fallout, with Labour remarking that ‘Reform is in meltdown’, while the Lib Dems have described the party’s council meetings as ‘starting to sound more like an episode of The Traitors‘. Will Kent County Council manage to get things back under control before the party loses yet more local politicians? Stay tuned…
Comments