Reform has suspended four of its councillors in Kent “following evidence that they brought the party into disrepute”.
A party spokesperson said: “Cllrs Paul Thomas, Oliver Bradshaw, Bill Barrett and Maxine Fothergill have had the whip suspended pending investigation, following evidence that they brought the party into disrepute”.
It comes after a video was leaked to The Guardian in which councillors at the local authority were seen arguing over decision-making relating to the council’s finances.
The video of the meeting appears to show Linden Kemkaran, the leader of the council, threatening to mute a councillor – thought to be Mr Thomas – for questioning her decision-making.
Kent County Council is one of the local authorities Nigel Farage’s party won in local elections earlier this year and is seen as a key test of Reform’s governing ability.
It took control of the council, which has an annual budget of more than £2.5bn, after winning 57 of the 81 seats at the local elections in May.
It is not clear who leaked the footage but Ms Kemkaran told the BBC that those who leaked the footage would get kicked out.
One of the key issues facing Kent council is tax and spending, both of which Reform has promised to cut – but local authorities under their control are suggesting that they may need to hike rates.
Another is local government reform, which would see councils across Kent replaced by one of more unitary councils.
Local councils have been asked to to develop a plan for their reorganisation by 28 November 2025.
On its website the council says it is “keen to explore” the option of creating a single unitary authority covering Kent and Medway and that Ms Kemkaran had written to other Kent council leaders confirming that her council would submit this proposal to the government.
According to The Guardian, Ms Kemkaran allegedly told councillors that they would have to “f***ing suck it up” if they did not agree with such decisions.
The newspaper reported that she said in the video: “Because I am not a dictator or an autocrat I like feedback, I like to discuss.
“I like to hear what everybody thinks. However, when it comes to making the really big decisions…sometimes I will make a decision that might not be liked by everybody in the group. But I am afraid you are just going to have to fucking suck it up.”
Ahead of the local elections in May, Mr Farage told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that his biggest fear was “winning but not delivering”.
“The biggest risk is succeeding, winning mayoralties, perhaps winning control of county councils, and not delivering,” he said at the time.
He added that if Reform did not deliver, then voters would say the party is “just like” the others.
