It was supposed to be Reform's flagship council...
It was supposed to be their flagship local authority and a litmus test for how Reform would govern. Yet it’s been far from plain sailing after Reform took control of Kent County Council, as the party becomes embroiled in infighting, defections and a failure to deliver.
Following the May local elections last year, Reform won 57 of the 81 seats for Kent County Council. However, the party has been hit with a string off defections and suspensions as well as scandal.
In October, it suspended 4 councillors after a leaked video showed bitter infighting.
Councillors were seen in the footage, first published by the Guardian, complaining about “backbiting” and being ignored by their leader, Linden Kemkaran, who told them to “fucking suck it up” if they did not agree with decisions made by her.
Reform then moved to expel other councillors, and earlier this month, its cabinet member for cutting waste and who led its infamous DOGE unit, designed to tackle wasteful expenditure, resigned after admitting that they had failed to make any major savings.
And to make matters worse for Reform, seven former Reform councillors on Kent County Council have now joined Restore Britain, the far-right party founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.
That means Reform have now lost 10 councillors, bringing their total down from 57 to 47. It means that if Reform lose just six more seats they could lose control of the council, and given the current climate on Kent County Council, that doesn’t seem too unlikely!
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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