Reform UK suspends four Kent councillors after leaked video

Four councillors on Kent County Council were suspended by Reform UK on Monday after a leaked recording of a virtual council meeting over the weekend showed the party's county leader using strong language while confronting backbench members. A Reform UK 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."

The video, circulated to the press, captured leader Linden Kemkaran repeatedly urging colleagues to accept difficult decisions aimed at reducing spending and avoiding larger council tax increases. In the recording she described the council as a "shop window" for the party and warned that failing to make savings would harm Reform's wider prospects. At one point a councillor who questioned her leadership was muted on screen.

Kent County Council, which manages an annual budget of more than £2.5 billion, has been the focal point of months of internal disagreement about tax and spending plans. Reform UK won control of the council in the local elections in May, taking 57 of 81 seats. A party spokesperson said the number of councillors...