Linden Kemkaran now faces a possible vote of no confidence
Reform leader of Kent County Council Linden Kemkaran was caught swearing, raising her voice and putting a colleague on mute during a chaotic meeting filled with bitter infighting.
In a recording of the virtual meeting leaked to The Guardian yesterday, Kemkaran said to councillors who disagree with her decision on local government reorganisation (LGR): “You’re just going to have to f***ing suck it up, ok?”.
Kemkaran said she is not a “dictator or an autocrat” and likes to hear councillors’ views.
However, she then added: “Sometimes I will make a decision that might not be liked by everybody in the group, but I’m afraid you’re just going to have to fucking suck it up, ok?
“Because I am the democratically elected leader and on LGR I’ve made a decision.”
Kemkaran said LGR would help the Reform-led council “try and come up with these savings to make the books balance”, and that avoiding a full 5% council tax rise “is going to be the best thing that we can do to show that Reform can actually run something as big as Kent County Council”.
She also said that Reform leader Nigel Farage “is super aware that we are the flagship council”.
Councillor Paul Thomas asked Kemkaran what proposal she is putting forward on LGR, stating that “We as backbenchers need to know what it is we’re getting behind.”
Kemkaran replied: “There physically isn’t time at this stage.”
Thomas insisted he wasn’t asking for a full rundown, but Kemkaran responded: “Well you are”, and refused to explain the proposal.
When Thomas said it was easier to explain things in face to face meeting, she shot back: “Of course it’s easier when it’s face-to-face. I’m on bloody holiday this week, Paul. I don’t want to be having this meeting.”
After further exchanges about the LGR proposals, Kemkaran said: “Paul I’m going to mute you in a minute, let me reply.” She then muted him.
Another Reform councillor and cabinet member for the environment, Dean Burns, said: “Let’s face it that the situation at the moment regards our group is not great.”
Councillor Burns stated: “I’ve worked my arse off in my own portfolio and I’m still getting a rod up my backside all the time.”
He added: “There is a lot of backbiting going on and that tends to be coming from the top down.”
Reform won 57 out of 81 seats on Kent County Council in May, but now has 54 councillors.
Thomas and councillors Oliver Bradshaw, Bill Barrett and Maxine Fothergill, have been suspended pending an investigation into the video leak and claims they brought “the party into disrepute”.
Kemkaran is herself facing a vote of no confidence, with a backbench councillor seeking the number of signatures needed to remove her as leader.
Image credit: The Guardian
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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