REFORM suspended four councillors today, plunging Kent County Council deeper into chaos.
Paul Thomas, Oliver Bradshaw, Bill Barrett and Maxine Fothergill were stripped of the turquoise whip after being accused of involvement in leaking video footage showing their council chief lambasting her colleagues.
A clip, sent to the Guardian, caught Linden Kemkaran during an online session, bluntly telling councillors to “f***ing suck it up” if they couldn’t hack her decision-making.
The local authority has been rattled by ongoing feuds over months of wrangling about tax and spending plans.
Ms Kemkaran was filmed declaring Kent County Council, which commands an annual budget of more than £2.5bn, is a “shop window” for Reform’s ability to lead the nation.
She also insisted: “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 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.”
When challenged by a colleague, Paul Thomas, over her suitability as the KCC’s leader, Ms Kemkaran muted him.
A Reform 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.”
Nigel Farage’s party seized power at KCC after a landslide in May, scooping 57 of 81 council seats.
Tory MP Louie French said: “Reform promised Kent residents the world in May.
“Six months later they are in complete chaos, with residents facing the prospect of even higher bills.
“A serious warning to the rest of the UK of what Reform in power looks like.”
