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The Spectator

Evening Blend

By Lucy Dunn

‘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.’

What surprises me – and it may yet happen once the dust settles on these initial suspensions – is that the foul mouthed leader of the Reform group and Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran, hasn’t herself been formally censured by Reform.

Despite having the video evidence before them, the council leader currently remains unpunished for one of the greatest taboos – using foul language in a formal meeting, bullying at least one member in that meeting by muting their microphone and loosing control of the meeting by allowing members to talk over one another.

Perhaps the illicit source of the video means that Reform’s rules don’t allow such evidence to be used. However, should any member who attended the meeting, lodge a formal complaint with the council’s Standards Board, Reform will find it difficult not to respond formally.

However, Reform has a wider issue to deal with than one bunch of incompetent civilians playing at being elected members.

Since the recent local government elections, there are eleven other county councils under the control of the Reform Party. Kent County Council was supposed to be Reform’s flagship council.

If this is the best Reform can do, then they are in danger of seeing their current lead in the polls go down faster than it went up.