New Reform UK Council Leader Calls Ukraine War ‘A Distraction’

Posted on 09/05/2025 by Boris Clair

A new Reform UK council leader has called the Ukraine war a “distraction”.

Linden Kemkaran, named leader of Kent County Council a week after Reform UK’s sweeping victories in the local elections, appeared to downplay the impact of the largest conflict in Europe since World War 2.

Speaking after she was named as council leader on Thursday evening, she promised to remove the Ukrainian flag from the chamber.

Kemkaran told the BBC: “This is Kent country council. We are here to represent the residents of Kent.

“A foreign war being fought thousands of miles away is simply a distraction.

“We are here to serve the people of Kent. That’s what we were elected on. That is what we are going to do.”

The councillor said Ukrainian people are “amazing” who have contributed to British society, “but a flag doesn’t change any of that”.

Kemkaran continued: “You have to understand that we won a massive majority and we have absolute, ultimate control.”

She was chosen as the council leader from six potential candidates, after a total of 57 Reform councillors were elected.

But, when pressed about her plans for the council, she said: “This is my first day in a brand new job and you wouldn’t expect me to have all the answers.

“We are going to get the auditors to come in and take a leaf out of Elon Musk’s book and appoint some sort of DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] to go through everything in detail and find out where the money is being spent and whether we can make any changes and make life better for the residents.”

When Yusuf first announced Reform’s plans to change council flags on Monday, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal Mike Tapp accused the party of “sucking up to Moscow”.

He said: “It tells you all you need to know about Nigel Farage’s Reform that their very first act after winning elections is to ban the Ukrainian flag from our town halls, in this of all weeks.

“Farage and Reform councillors should stop sucking up to Moscow and drop their ban on flying the Ukrainian flag immediately.”

Reform UK Accused Of ‘Sucking Up To Moscow’ Over Flag Ban

Posted on 05/05/2025 by Boris Clair

Reform UK has been accused of “sucking up to Moscow” after it announced that Ukraine flags will be among those banned from flying on council buildings run by the party.

Reform chairman Zia Yusuf said only Union Jacks and St. George’s Crosses will be flown from now on.

The party later clarified that Reform-run councils will still be allowed to fly their local county flags.

All other flags – including the Ukraine national flags which have been flown from council buildings across the country since Russia’s invasion in 2022 – will be banned.

Yusuf announced the move on X days after the party took control of 10 local authorities following its success at the local elections.

He said: “Reform controlled English councils will move at speed to resolve that the only flags permitted to be flown on or in its buildings will be the Union Jack and the St George’s flag.

“No other flags will be permitted to be flown on its flag-poles, balconies, reception desks or council-chamber walls.”

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Reform controlled English councils will move at speed to resolve that the *only* flags permitted to be flown on or in its buildings will be the Union Jack and the St George’s flag.

No other flags will be permitted to be flown on its flag-poles, balconies, reception desks or… pic.twitter.com/UngyJFgCh9

— Zia Yusuf (@ZiaYusufUK) May 5, 2025

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Reform controlled English councils will move at speed to resolve that the *only* flags permitted to be flown on or in its buildings will be the Union Jack and the St George’s flag.

No other flags will be permitted to be flown on its flag-poles, balconies, reception desks or… pic.twitter.com/UngyJFgCh9

— Zia Yusuf (@ZiaYusufUK) May 5, 2025

Reacting to the announcement, Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover and Deal, said: “As VE Day reminds us, Britain has a proud history of working with allies to defeat dictators and tyrants.

“It tells you all you need to know about Nigel Farage’s Reform that their very first act after winning elections is to ban the Ukrainian flag from our town halls, in this of all weeks.

“But while it is sickening, it should come as no surprise: Farage told us that Vladimir Putin is the world leader he most admires.

“Farage and Reform councillors should stop sucking up to Moscow and drop their ban on flying the Ukrainian flag immediately.”

A Reform UK spokesman said: “Reform UK will proudly fly the Union Jack, St George’s Flag and county flags. Unlike the Tories and Labour, we are proud of our country and history.”

A Reform UK Councillor Has Been Suspended By The Party 3 Days After Being Elected

Posted on 04/05/2025 by Boris Clair

A Reform UK councillor has been suspended by the party just three days after being elected.

Donna Edmunds faces an investigation after it emerged she had previously vowed to defect to another right-wing party in the future.

She became one of Reform’s 677 new councillors when she was elected in Hodnet, Shropshire, on Thursday.

But in a post on X today she said: “This morning I woke up to an email from Reform UK Head Office advising me that I have been suspended from the party ‘pending an investigation’. Why? Because I urged people here on X to lend Reform their support for the short term – for Thursday’s elections – even if they felt they couldn’t for the long term.

“According to Head Office ‘this has brought the party into disrepute and damaged the interests of the party’.”

She then went on to criticise the party for kicking out Rupert Lowe MP and ditching its former deputy leader, Ben Habib.

Edmunds also shared a screengrab of a post she made on X last week in which she said: “I’m a Reform candidate. I’m waiting for Rupert and Ben to give us a real alternative and then I’ll defect. I’m far from being the only one.”

She added: “This campaign has been a difficult one. For every resident in my ward who supported Reform, I found another who wanted an alternative to the failed Tories and vindictive Labour, but couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a party who would behave so shamefully toward their own.”

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Yesterday I woke up feeling very proud to be one of Reform’s 677 new councilors. This morning I woke up to an email from @reformparty_uk Head Office advising me that I have been suspended from the party \"pending an investigation.\"
Why? Because I urged people here on X to lend… pic.twitter.com/oiBFyeRh72

— Donna Rachel 🎗️ (@Donna_Rachel_) May 4, 2025

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Yesterday I woke up feeling very proud to be one of Reform’s 677 new councilors. This morning I woke up to an email from @reformparty_uk Head Office advising me that I have been suspended from the party “pending an investigation.”
Why? Because I urged people here on X to lend… pic.twitter.com/oiBFyeRh72

— Donna Rachel 🎗️ (@Donna_Rachel_) May 4, 2025

A Reform UK spokesman said: “The reason for her suspension is that she posted on social media that she intended to defect to another party. We will not comment further until the completion of the investigation.”

Here’s Why Lucy Powell’s Comments On Grooming Gangs Really Matter

Posted on 04/05/2025 by Boris Clair

Timing, as in good comedy, is vital in politics.

That’s why Lucy Powell’s comments on Friday night about the child grooming gangs scandal really matter.

The House of Commons leader lost her composure during an appearance on Radio Four’s political debate programme Any Questions.

It came after Reform UK campaigner Tim Montgomerie mentioned a Channel 4 documentary on the abduction and rape of vulnerable young girls by groups of men of mainly British-Pakistani backgrounds.

Powell interrupted to say: “Oh we want to blow that little trumpet now, do we? Let’s get that dog whistle out shall we, yeah?”

It didn’t take long for her comments to provoke a backlash on social media, with Reform and the Tories both piling in as well.

A spokesman for Nigel Farage’s party said: “Lucy Powell’s abhorrent comments truly demonstrate how out of touch the Labour Party is.”

Of course, Powell’s remarks – for which she later issued an apology of sorts – would have ignited a fierce political row regardless of when she said them.

Labour has been heavily criticised for rejecting calls for a national inquiry into the scandal, preferring instead to promote investigations at a local authority level.

But it was the fact that her outburst came just hours after Reform UK – which has campaigned heavily on the issue – had won the local elections in England that made them so politically toxic for Labour.

As well as taking hundreds of council seats off the Tories, the right-wing party also showed that they can pull off stunning victories in traditional Labour areas like Durham and Doncaster.

With Reform also breathing down Labour’s neck in many of the areas where the grooming scandal took place, Powell’s words could almost have been deliberately chosen to cause maximum reputational damage to her party.

No wonder one senior figure in No.10 called them “appalling”.

According to The Sunday Times, education secretary Bridget Phillipson will be sacked at the next cabinet reshuffle, with Lisa Nandy also facing the axe along with her Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Senior Labour figures are now openly speculating that Powell’s neck is also on the chopping block.

“She shouldn’t be allowed on broadcast,” one told HuffPost UK, while another said: “What a car crash.”

For now at least, Downing Street appears to be backing Powell to ride out the storm.

Health secretary Wes Streeting offered up a stout defence of her on the broadcast round this morning, saying: “We all make mistakes. I’ve made mistakes in the past, I’m sure I’ll make mistakes in the future.

“The important thing is when we make mistakes, we own it, we apologise. That’s exactly what Lucy has done.”

But it would not be a surprise if, come the reshuffle, Powell finds herself on the backbenches.

How Keir Starmer Will Take A Leaf Out Of Margaret Thatcher’s Book After Labour Local Election Losses

Posted on 02/05/2025 by Boris Clair

Margaret Thatcher had a phrase she often repeated when challenged on her strident adherence to her unapologetically right-wing economic principles.

“There is no alternative,” the former Conservative prime minister would say to those who pointed out the social unrest and industrial devastation her policies were causing.

The initials of those four words led to Thatcher being given the nickname “Tina” by friend and foe alike.

She was rewarded with three election victories before finally being dumped when her MPs finally tired of her intransigence.

While he would not welcome the comparison, there is undoubtedly something Thatcheresque about Keir Starmer and his supporters’ response to Labour’s performance at the local elections.

“I’ve seen it suggested that we just scrap the fiscal rules so we can borrow and spend more – that’s just a recipe for higher interest rates,” said one of the PM’s allies.

“There’s no easy solution, it’s just hard work.”

Although Labour did manage to cling on to the mayoralties in North Tyneside, Doncaster and the West of England, the overall picture for Labour was one of bitter disappointment.

Nowhere typified this more than Runcorn and Helsby, where Labour saw their 14,700 majority wiped out by Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin, albeit by just six votes.

Meanwhile, Labour lost more than 100 councillors – most of them to Reform UK – confounding polling experts who had forecast they would make modest gains.

Nevertheless, the mood in 10 Downing Street is that the party must stick to the path it is currently on, regardless of the incoming fire.

“Because trust is so thin in politics we are taking all the downside because there is no upside to point to yet.””

– Labour source

One senior party source told HuffPost UK: “If we’d got six more votes in Runcorn, on top of the three mayoral wins, I’d be feeling quite positive overall.

“We’re a year into a long-term project, we’ve had to do lots of tough stuff and people are giving us a chance to get it done. But those six votes in Runcorn make a big difference to the mood.”

Another insider said: “We get it, we understand it, we’ve got to deliver real, tangible change. For example, we are doing stuff to clean up rivers but we’ve had to put up water bills to do it. Because trust is so thin in politics we are taking all the downside because there is no upside to point to yet.”

One cabinet minister pointed out that turning the country round takes time: “You can’t do it in an afternoon.”

But it was not hard to find Labour critics of the party hierarchy, however.

Ros Jones had only been re-installed as mayor of Doncaster for a few minutes before she was telling the BBC precisely why Reform UK had come within 700 votes of removing her from office.

“I think national government needs to look and see what people are saying,” she said.

“I wrote [to Starmer] as soon as [scrapping] the winter fuel allowance was mooted and I said it was wrong.

“The results tonight demonstrate that they need to be listening to the man, woman and businesses on the street and actually deliver for the people, with the people.”

The decision to increase National Insurance payments for employers, as well as slash disability benefits, were two more policies which had cost Labour votes, Jones said.

A former MP said the winter fuel allowance decision is coming up on doorsteps “time and time again”.

He said: “I think they’ve got to do something to show voters that we get it and we’re listening. Overturning the winter fuel policy would make a huge difference to how the government is perceived in the country.”

Those on the left of the party also accused the PM of pandering to Reform and demanded an urgent change of direction.

“This really highlights how fragile Labour’s electoral coalition is”

– Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta

Neal Lawson, director of the campaign group Compass, said: “Labour are squandering their general election victory – people in Runcorn voted for change and instead Labour are giving them more of the same. It’s paving the way for Reform.

“Labour need to understand that if people want Reform’s policies then they will vote for Reform – and if they can close the gap this much in 11 months, imagine what it might be in five years.

“What should terrify Labour strategists in Runcorn is that the Green vote went up – even though Green voters knew this might let Reform in. Labour is simply not progressive enough to win even tactical support.”

Simon Fletcher, who was campaigns and elections adviser to Starmer during his first year as opposition leader, told Byline Times: “Now we can see with the real clarity of votes at the ballot box what the consequences are of a Labour government that responds to the economy’s deep-seated problems with yet more cuts to pensioners’ winter fuel payments and attacks on disabled people.”

Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta, said Labour’s strategy is understandable, but still represents a huge gamble.

“Labour have a really difficult job knowing what to do about Reform,” he said. “They could adopt a more populist right-leaning strategy, but they risk alienating core voters to the Lib Dems and Greens. This really highlights how fragile Labour’s electoral coalition is.

“It’s interesting that Starmer’s decision is to double down on the existing strategy; that probably makes sense as evidence of not panicking, and overly pivoting to worry about Reform, but it’s still a risk as reform are such an unknown quantity.”

Labour figures are consoling themselves with the fact that, if anything, Kemi Badenoch had an even worse night than Starmer.

The Tories lost more than 500 councillors and a swathe of councils as they were caught in a Reform UK and Lib Dem pincer movement.

A Labour source said: “Reform have done well but the Tory vote has totally collapsed.

“The usual way back into government is to acknowledge what you got wrong, change and then put that change to the country. And if that failed, you at least had a base you could rely on. I think the Tories are beyond that.

“Without a serious course correction they could actually fall to pieces. 150 years of the most successful party in the western world and they are on the verge of disappearing.”

A government minister said: “The big fight at the general election will be between Labour and whatever happens on the right. Are we seeing the demise of the Tories or will they fight back?”

One former Conservative cabinet minister said that after just six months as party leader, Badenoch is already on borrowed time.

“She’s got a year to turn it around,” he said. “The one thing saving her right now is that there’s nobody else who could do it.”

Even Reform UK Voters Are Getting Sick And Tired Of Donald Trump

Posted on 29/04/2025 by Boris Clair

Even Reform UK voters are growing sick and tired of Donald Trump, according to a new poll marking his 100th day in office.

The US president’s favourability has declined in Britain since his inauguration in January.

But his fall in popularity is even more pronounced among Reform backers – who were previously his biggest supporters in the UK.

According to the More in Common think-tank, when he re-entered the White House at the start of this year, Trump’s net favourability rating among all British voters was minus 36.

With Labour voters that figure stood at minus 42, while with Tories it was minus 27.

However, Reform UK voters gave him a net favourability rating of plus 31. Barely three months later, however, that figure has plummeted by 30 points to just plus 1.

Among British voters as a whole, it has fallen by 8 points to minus 44.

The findings may explain why Reform leader Nigel Farage – a close ally of Trump – has become noticeably more critical of the president in recent weeks.

He said Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine “rewards Putin too much”, and has also hit out at the tariffs the president has imposed on virtually all imports to America, including from the UK.

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🇺🇸100 days into the 2nd Trump presidency and his approval among Brits has fallen further since his inauguration to -44. The biggest drop is among Reform UK voters who previously gave Trump positive net approval of 31 and its now just 1. pic.twitter.com/gv4SAYq7YE

— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) April 29, 2025

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🇺🇸100 days into the 2nd Trump presidency and his approval among Brits has fallen further since his inauguration to -44. The biggest drop is among Reform UK voters who previously gave Trump positive net approval of 31 and its now just 1. pic.twitter.com/gv4SAYq7YE

— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) April 29, 2025

Meanwhile, 67% of Brits believe Trump’s return to the White House has been bad for the world, 61% think it has been bad for the UK and 57% say he has been bad for America.

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67% of Brits think Trump has been bad for the world, 16% good. 59% bad for the UK, 17% think he’s been for UK good. And for the USA 57% think he’s been bad and 27% think he’s been good. pic.twitter.com/4IHx1TXVxR

— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) April 29, 2025

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67% of Brits think Trump has been bad for the world, 16% good. 59% bad for the UK, 17% think he’s been for UK good. And for the USA 57% think he’s been bad and 27% think he’s been good. pic.twitter.com/4IHx1TXVxR

— Luke Tryl (@LukeTryl) April 29, 2025