Four Reform UK councillors have been suspended after a video of their Kent council leader telling members to “suck it up” was leaked to the press.
Reform UK took control of Kent County Council (KCC) after winning 57 of the 81 seats at the local elections in May, overturning a 30-year Tory majority.
Footage of an online meeting where KCC leader Linden Kemkaran could be seen berating backbench councillors when they questioned her was published by the Guardian on Saturday.
Kemkaran told members that KCC, which has an annual budget of more than £2.5 billion, is a “shop window” to show the country that Reform can govern competently.
Kent was one of the first UK councils Reform took control of, but there has been a rumoured split between many of its backbench councillors since they took over.
On Monday, Reform UK announced the suspension of four KCC councillors, including Paul Thomas, who Kemkaren threatened to mute during the meeting.
Their spokesperson said: “Councillors 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 is understood their suspension relates to the leaked video.
KCC leader Linden Kemkaran, who is seen and heard swearing in the leaked video, has not been suspended.
During the meeting, Kemkaran told her councillors: “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, and LGR (Local Government Reorganisation) is one of those 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 f****** suck it up.”
On screen, Reform councillors appeared shocked by her comments, with some laughing.
Thomas later questioned whether Reform had the “right leader and the right cabinet” before he was muted by the council leader.
Kemkaran said managing to avoid raising council tax by 5% would be the “best thing” for KCC.
“People are looking at us, they are judging us every single day, every single minute of every single day. Nigel knows that. He is super aware that we are the flagship council,” she said.
The source of the leaked video has not been confirmed but in a statement to ITV News, suspended councillor Maxine Fothergill denied she was to blame.
She wrote: “I strongly deny these allegations that I was the source of the leaked video reported in The Guardian this weekend.
“I have requested a full list from the KCC IT Department of all those who downloaded the footage, to provide beyond doubt that I was not the source.
“Reform UK has a once-in-a-generation mission to save our country. Distractions like this only play into the hands of our opponents.
“I look forward to rejoining my colleagues when this process has concluded, my name is cleared, and the real culprits are held to account.”
“You’ll have the odd wrongun, that’s life. We’re just honest enough to call it as it is,” said Richard Tice.
Speaking on Monday, deputy leader of the Reform Party Richard Tice, denied the party had an issue with infighting and insisted Reform is working as a team.
“This happens in every party,” he claimed.
“People are going to have different views, and amongst all of that you’ll have the great, the good and you’ll have the odd wrongun. That’s life, we’re just honest enough to call it as it is.
“We are a team, we are a big family, we’ve got a big job. We need to prove that we’re capable of running more councils and then running the country and we’re not going to take any nonsense from anybody.”
Tice went on to describe dissenting Reform politicians as “snake-like,” and “not being part of a team”.
Asked about Linden Kemkaran’s choice of language and leadership of Kent County Council, Tice described it as “strong, no nonsense, clear leadership,” calling her leadership “absolutely fantastic.”
Responding to the leaked footage, Opposition Leader at KCC, Liberal Democrat Antony Hook said: “Reform are descending into deeper chaos every day.
“The people of Kent are being let down by an administration that has no idea what it’s doing and is breaking its promises on council tax.
“We learned in the leaked video that they have no respect for each other let alone respect for the public.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Reform’s leader in Kent said that Reform councils were ‘the biggest advert’ for what a Nigel Farage government would look like. Well, now we know what that means: complete chaos.
“All Farage’s talk on cutting council waste hasn’t come close. Now, members of his flagship council are fighting like rats in a sack. Reform is in meltdown and it’s local residents who will pay the price.”
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