It’s well worth remembering that, following their comprehensive victory in the local elections just six months ago, Reform were content use their control of Kent County Council as a litmus test for their ability to govern. However, it has been non-stop chaos in the south-east…
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Around 16% of Reform councillors in Kent have either defected, been suspended, or expelled
Isabella Kemp became the EIGHTH Reform councillor for the local authority to either be suspended or expelled from their post since May 2025, following the fallout from a leaked video which showed party members profusely rowing with each other in the chambers.
Four other members of Reform have been suspended over the incident. Kemp, meanwhile, has also been removed from her other official position at Reform HQ. After learning of the decision on Thursday, she has vowed to take legal action against the right-leaning party.
A dry-run for government?
The woes continue to pile up Nigel Farage and his colleagues in Kent. This council is where the DOGE unit was launched to much self-aggrandising fanfare – but it has failed to get off the ground so far, and the so-called ‘test case for governance’ could not have gone much worse.
The loss of nine councillors in six months (one defected to UKIP) has now brought up the possibility of something previously seen as unthinkable. Reform earned 57 seats for KCC, comfortably surpassing the number required to earn a majority – 41. But that sense of security has been eroded.
Could Reform lose their majority in Kent?
Kemp’s suspension means that Reform are now down to 48 councillors. Of course, they are still streets ahead of the second-most represented party, and the Liberal Democrats currently hold 12 seats. But genuine concerns have been raised, saying that the party could put its majority in jeopardy.
There is now a possibility that, if they continue to lose councillors at the current rate, their majority could be gone within a year of their biggest electoral triumph. Reform are nine down, with seven left to go. Given the turmoil we’ve witnessed so far, it’s an eventuality that can’t be ruled out.