UPDATED: Reform UK suspend another Kent County Councillor hours before meeting
Isabella Kemp, who represents Sheppey, will now sit as an Independent
Last updated 6th Nov 2025
A Reform UK council leader has claimed the party is "stronger" having suspended another member just hours before a full council meeting.
Reform UK won 57 of the 81 seats at Kent County Council (KCC) to take control of the authority in May, overturning a 30-year Tory majority.
There are now 48 Reform councillors, with nine members having been either suspended or removed since then.
Most recently, Councillor Isabella Kemp, who represents Sheppey on KCC, was suspended from the party ahead of a council meeting on November 6.
Ms Kemp is the latest in a string of suspensions since a video showing KCC 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 leadership.
Mr Black, Mr Bradshaw and Mr Thomas have reportedly declared their "continued support" for the party at both national and local level.
Mr Barrett along with Robert Ford, who was removed from the party following "several" complaints from female staff, have taken a different line, criticising Reform UK and creating an Independent Reformers Group at KCC.
On Thursday in a speech in the council chamber, Ms Kemkaran drew parallels between her party and her son's army training.
"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 said.
Ms Kemkaran added: "Believe me, we are much stronger and we are totally battle fit."
Leader of the opposition, Liberal Democrat Antony Hook, implied the Reform administration had made KCC a "punchline" on Have I Got News For You.
"I'm told that people are literally placing bets on whether the administration will last until Christmas or Easter," he said.
Another former Reform councillor, Richard Ford, has announced he is considering legal action against the party for defamation of his character following his removal.
Mr Ford declared he is considering suing for libel over allegations contained in a press release about his recent suspension.
On Thursday 6 November outside County Hall, he said: "I'm currently taking legal advice regarding the defamation of my character by Reform UK at KCC that occurred on October 13 and I intend in the coming months to pursue this with vigour."
He believes a media statement issued on October 13 to news organisations has damaged his reputation. It said Cllr Ford was being suspended after an “unofficial complaint” from “several” members of female staff.
Mr Ford claims the complaints relate to an "erotic novel" he had published, which he had mentioned to people at KCC.
No further information on the nature of the complaints has been forthcoming from Reform UK.
Councillors went on to debate local government reorganisation in Thursday's Council Meeting.
Ms Kemkaran told the Chambers:
“KCC has put together its own business case and it shows the vast, projected cost of Local Government Reorganisation, something that has not been made available to us from Central Government."
The option Ms Kemkaran has put forward for Local Government Reform she says "is the least likely to involve a hike in council tax across the county".
“The lack of time and the lack of proper public engagement is nothing short of scandalous and for that, the Government is squarely to blame. But, despite all the hurdles, we have come up with a plan that is the most sensible of the lot."
All of the remaining Reform councillors who spoke during the debate voiced support for Ms Kemkaran's plan.