Reform UK ‘In Chaos’ After Losing One In Six Members On Flagship Council

Reform UK has lost nine councillors on a flagship local authority in just six months, it has emerged.

The party won 57 of the 81 seats up for grabs on Kent County Council in a landmark victory in May.

Reform bosses said the council would be “the biggest advert” for how the party would run the country if it wins the next general election.

But since then, the party has been hit by a wave of controversy which has seen their number of councillors slashed to 48.

The most recent departure was Isabella Kemp, who was suspended by Reform on Thursday.

It is the latest in a string of suspensions since a video showing Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran shouting and swearing at members was leaked to The Guardian.

Councillors Bill Barrett, Paul Thomas, Brian Black and Oliver Bradshaw have since been removed – while Maxine Fothergill remains suspended by Reform HQ, who linked all five to the video leak.

They were said to have “undermined the interests of the party” and have been called “dishonest” by the Reform leadership.

Kemkaran said: “Some had quit because they couldn’t hack it, others have been thrown out for bad behaviour, because they weren’t good enough or they weren’t team players – not up to the challenge or were simply unable or unwilling to accept discipline.”

She added: “Believe me, we are much stronger and we are totally battle fit.”

Antony Hook, the Lib Dem leader on the council, mocked Reform on Bluesky.

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. It’s now clear that means total chaos.

“Reform promised to cut council waste and tax, but instead, in council after council, Reform are cutting services and putting council tax up. In Kent, Reform’s flagship council is in meltdown and it’s local residents who will pay the price.

“Reform have shown they aren’t serious and can’t be trusted.”

Reform UK have been contacted for comment.

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Fresh Reform UK Row As MP Warns Against ‘LGBT-Supporting’ Political Alliances

Nigel Farage is facing a fresh headache after it emerged a Reform UK MP warned voters the UK could soon be led by an “appalling Hamas-supporting, LGBT-supporting nationalist party”.

Kruger, who dramatically left his position as a Tory frontbencher to join Reform last month, can be seen in a clip shared on the party’s YouTube page comparing supporting LGBT+ rights to backing Palestinian militants.

Speaking during a membership drive at the weekend, Kruger said his party was “up against Lib Dems, Labour, Greens, we’ve got the nationalists in Wales and Scotland, there’s Corbyn”.

In comments first obtained by the Mirror, he said: “You know that shows how bad things are in our country.

“What I worry about is they’re going to get together after the next election and have some sort of appalling, you know, Hamas-supporting, LGBT-supporting, you know, nationalist party against the United Kingdom trying to get us back into the EU.

“All the things that the British people have rejected time and again. The only way to stop that is Reform. And so that means, you know, including if you’re a former. Conservative, I’m afraid to say, you’ve got to join us.”

Kruger himself dodged a question on this issue at a pre-arranged Reform press conference today where he was outlining his party’s plans to reform Whitehall.

When asked for a response to his comments from the weekend, he said the public should vote for Reform if they want a “sensible moderate government”.

He told the Mirror: “You do have a kaleidoscope of people who proclaim their belief in gay rights on one hand and then their support for Hamas on the other, or at least for kind of Islamism in the Middle East. So I mean, I’m pointing out the incredible incoherence of the coalition that has ranged against us.

“I dread to think what would happen if there was some sort of deal of the election which ended up with that rabble in power. So that is the concern I have.”

Polly Billington, Labour MP for East Thanet, quickly hit out at Kruger’s “dinosaur” comments this morning.

She said: “Danny Kruger’s remarks are outdated and out of line. Stirring up division is Reform’s stock in trade and now LGBT people are being targeted.

“His words have direct consequences in our communities and should be condemned by Nigel Farage.

“It’s astounding that Kruger made these comments on the same day his colleague Sarah Pochin embarked on a racist rant about black and Asian people on TV.

“Our British values of decency, compassion and respect are under threat from Reform. That is what we’re up against – the politics of division and grievance that would take our great country to a very dark place.

“If Nigel Farage had any backbone, he’d stand up to these dinosaurs and take action. Failure to do so is an endorsement of these divisive views.”

Reform UK has been approaching for a response to Kruger’s comments.

The Mirror’s report comes a day after Farage admitted he was “angry” over another row caused by one of his five MPs.

Sarah Pochin triggered plenty of backlash when she complained about TV adverts being “full of black people, full of Asian people” at the weekend, although she later apologised.

Farage said in a press conference on Monday that these were “ugly” remarks and admitted he is “unhappy” with Pochin for these comments, but refused to punish her by withdrawing the whip.

He said: “If I thought the intention behind it was racist, I would have taken a lot more action that I have done today – and that is because I don’t.”

Kruger also responded to the backlash around Pochin, telling Times Radio on Tuesday morning: “I think that’s a really regrettable thing that she said, because it’s so offensive to suggest that seeing black and Asian faces made her mad.

“Obviously, she was trying to say something different. There’s no excuse, but it is the truth that she was talking about over-representation of minorities.”

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Nigel Farage On Course To Be Prime Minister As Labour And Tories Collapse, New Mega-Poll Shows

Nigel Farage would “almost certainly” become prime minister on the back of a huge surge in support for Reform UK if a general election was held tomorrow, according to a new mega-poll.

The YouGov survey of 13,000 people shows Reform would win 311 seats – up from the five they won at last year’s election.

Labour would lose a staggering 267 seats to leave them on just 144, while the Tories would have just 45 MPs, 76 fewer than they got elected in 2024.

The number of Lib Dem MPs would increase by six to 78, with the SNP on 37 (up 28), the Greens on 7 (up 3) and Plaid Cymru on 6 (up 2).

Such a result would almost certainly result in Farage leading a minority government, meaning he would have to do deals with other parties to get Reform legislation through the Commons.

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YouGov’s September 2025 MRP projects a hung parliament where Reform UK would be almost certain to form a government

Reform UK: 311 (+306 from 2024)
Labour: 144 (-267)
Lib Dems: 78 (+6)
Conservatives: 45 (-76)
SNP: 37 (+28)
Greens: 7 (+3)
Plaid: 6 (+2)
Others: 3 (-2) pic.twitter.com/4K1fUBn4ij

— YouGov (@YouGov) September 26, 2025

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YouGov’s September 2025 MRP projects a hung parliament where Reform UK would be almost certain to form a government

Reform UK: 311 (+306 from 2024)
Labour: 144 (-267)
Lib Dems: 78 (+6)
Conservatives: 45 (-76)
SNP: 37 (+28)
Greens: 7 (+3)
Plaid: 6 (+2)
Others: 3 (-2) pic.twitter.com/4K1fUBn4ij

— YouGov (@YouGov) September 26, 2025

In terms of vote share, Reform UK are on 27% of the national vote, with Labour on 21%, the Tories on 17%, the Liberal Democrats on 15% and the Greens on 11%.

The seat totals are calculated using the so-called “MRP” method, which compiles constituency-by-constituency data to provide a more accurate forecast.

Patrick English, YouGov’s director of political analytics, said the poll showed Reform would be “within touching distance of winning a parliamentary majority”.

He said: “Their seat total in a hypothetical election would almost certainly be enough to see them take the reins of government.”

Labour would lose a swathe of seats in their traditional heartlands in the north of England, Scotland and Wales.

Among the big names on course to lose their seats are Yvette Cooper, Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband and Angela Rayner.

English said: “Such a defeat for Labour would be an even greater loss of seats than the Conservatives experienced at the last general election, and a sharp turnaround from a majority victory that was expected by some to carry the party through at least two terms in office.”

The Conservatives, meanwhile, would be all-but wiped out at a serious political force in the UK.

English said: “We would expect the Conservatives – the current official opposition – to win only 68 seats at the very maximum, with the Liberal Democrats projected to win no fewer than 65 seats and potentially as many as 86.”

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