
'Apocalyptic' situation for Tories
The Conservative leader of Kent County Council has described his party's situation at the local elections as "apocalyptic". Roger Gough said he was not sure he would hang on to his own seat at Sevenoaks and Darent Valley North.It comes as the results have started to be declared in Kent with Reform UK taking the first two seats from the Conservatives. All 72 electoral divisions across the county are up for election - equating to 81 councillors in total.
Gough described his party's situation as "apocalyptic" and added: "That's the only way I can describe it."The Conservatives had overall control of the authority with 56 of the 81 councillors before the vote.At 13:00 BST Reform UK had won seats at Maidstone South East and Gravesham Rural. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told BBC Radio Kent: "It's looking a very good day for us in Kent, I'm being told it could even be a majority win for us. That will help the celebrations tonight."Counting started on Friday morning and results were expected by 19:00 BST.
Who has been in charge?Before the 2025 vote, the council was made up of 55 Conservatives, six Liberal Democrats, five Labour councillors (including Labour and Co-operative), five Green Party members, four Independent councillors, three Reform UK members, one Heritage Party councillor, one Swale Independents councillor, and there was one vacancy.Kent County Council has been Conservative-run for most of its existence.Since it was created in its current format in 1974, it has had a Conservative leader for all but four years, as between 1993 and 1997 the authority was led by joint leaders from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.In 1997, the Conservatives won their majority back, which they have held onto since, although their authority was shaken in the 2013 election when Ukip became the second largest party on the council, before losing all their seats four years later.
When will we know all the results?How the BBC is reporting local election resultsAnger and indifference collide in unpredictable local elections
What happened at the last election?In the last county council election in 2021, the Conservatives won 49% of the vote, securing 61 seats.In terms of seats won, the Lib Dems came second with six, Labour got five and the Green Party secured four.Reform UK did not win any seats.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Press and Journal
33 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
Exclusive: Huntly councillor becomes SIXTH Aberdeenshire Tory to join Reform
A Huntly councillor has become the SIXTH Tory in Aberdeenshire to join Reform as momentum continues to build for Nigel Farage's party. Lauren Knight became the latest Conservative in the north-east to make the switch just hours after leader Russell Findlay branded defectors 'opportunists'. Ms Knight said she believes the Conservative Party has 'left her' and she 'feels let down by so many broken promises'. 'I am honoured to have joined Reform UK', she exclusively told The Press and Journal. Ms Knight, who represents the Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford ward, previously battled Aberdeenshire Council over a deferral for her premature son starting school. Her son, Henry, was born three months early and spent five months fighting to survive in the neonatal unit while he was unable to breathe by himself. Ms Knight, who lives in Forgue, said: 'As the mother of a child with additional support needs, I have experienced firsthand the challenges families face when navigating a system that too often overlooks the most vulnerable.' Speaking to the P&J, the Aberdeenshire mum said local cuts to additional support needs services passed by the ruling Tory-led administration influenced her defection. Ms Knight felt she was unable to speak out against her own party on the topic. 'It wasn't an environment where you could have a voice,' she said. Ms Knight said she was 'sad' to leave behind some Tory colleagues, but said many of her allies were the councillors who had already left the party. She told the P&J: ' I realised of the people I aligned with and was friends with have all decided to move to Reform.' Her defection to Reform represents another blow for the Tories in a region where they are losing multiple councillors. Former Aberdeenshire council chief Mark Findlater and Mearns councillor Laurie Carnie became the first to join Reform in Scotland last year. Ellon councillor John Crawley and Dominic Lonchay, who represents East Garioch, later followed them over to Mr Farage's party. Robbie Withey, another councillor in Ms Knight's Huntly ward, continues to sit as an independent but has joined Reform. John Cox, a former SNP councillor, has also signed up to Reform UK – but also still sits as an independent. And Aberdeen councillor Duncan Massey announced his defection from the Tories last week when Mr Farage visited the city. The defection comes one day after Scottish Tory chief Mr Findlay exclusively told the P&J he 'despairs' at councillors leaving his party for Reform and believes they will later regret it. 'Some of them you know personally and you know their politics – you're left to conclude they're doing so because it's complete opportunism,' he said on our weekly politics podcast, The Stooshie. He added: 'A lot of our members are very angry at those who defect. 'Those who defect are only in the post they're in because of the fact they were wearing a Tory blue rosette. 'I just feel disappointed. I suspect what we'll see is some regret.' Reform councillor Thomas Kerr welcomed Ms Knight to the party. 'Lauren Knight brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to Reform UK,' he said. A Scottish Tory spokesperson said: 'Under Russell Findlay, we're reconnecting with common sense conservative values of enterprise, self-reliance, fiscal responsibility and the rule of law. 'Every poll shows that Reform will only help the SNP. 'As we saw in last year's general election, they handed several seats to the SNP which would have otherwise gone to a pro-UK party. 'Reform are likely to stand pro-independence candidates in the 2026 election and Nigel Farage has even said he's not worried about the SNP getting another five years in power.'


North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Badenoch urges business leaders to ‘get on the pitch' and support Tories
The Conservative leader also appealed to business leaders to support her party, suggesting there was no credible alternative which would represent their interests. Speaking at the FTSE 250+ conference in central London, Mrs Badenoch said: 'My message to business is: I'm on your side, but I need you to be on mine too.' The Tory leader's appearance at the gathering came as the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures showed the UK economy shrank more than expected, the day after the Government unveiled spending plans prioritising health and defence over the next few years. Speaking to an audience of business and investment chiefs, Mrs Badenoch hit out at Labour's tax rises, including the inheritance tax on family farms and national insurance employer contributions. She added: 'You need to support policies that back enterprise, and you need to challenge those who want more state control. 'Don't just wait for other politicians to do it. 'You need to get on the pitch too.' The Tory leader claimed the UK has 'forgot that business is a good in and of itself, and it pays for everything. It is the source of our prosperity'. Mrs Badenoch added: 'The challenge all of us in this room have now is that many people don't believe this anymore.' People instead believe 'business hoards wealth' and is 'greedy and needs to be taxed more', she said. Mrs Badenoch continued: 'This is a crisis. 'And the question before us is simple: Who has credible solutions? 'And I know many of you will be asking, 'Why should we trust the Conservative Party?' 'And I say because no-one is making the argument for business … except me and my party.' At PMQs I talked about Labour creating an economic spiral. A reminder we have 4 more years of this… — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 12, 2025 Mrs Badenoch's rallying call to businesses comes after the most recent political donations data showed a boost to the Tory war chest. The Conservatives raised nearly £3.4 million in the first quarter of 2025, the Electoral Commission revealed this week, outstripping Labour's £2.4 million and Reform UK's £1.5 million. Labour offers only 'managed decline', Mrs Badenoch also told business chiefs, before taking aim at Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Mrs Badenoch appealed to the audience, signalling voters cannot 'allow Farage, with no experience of legislating – he's never in Parliament, let alone government – to just come in'. She added: 'Can you imagine 360 random people suddenly taking over government saying they are going to fix everything? 'We were there for 14 years, sweating and labouring, it was unbelievably difficult. 'How many of you would allow your businesses to be run by people who have never been in that business and say 'Come on in, I'm sure you can fix it'? 'That's what he's offering, it's not real. 'It is a scam, and it's my job to expose that scam.' A Reform UK spokesman said: 'Kemi admits they had 14 years and yet all they achieved was sky high taxes, low growth and open borders. 'The only scam is her telling the British public that the Tories have changed. 'It's the same people and the same old failed ideas. 'Quite simply, the Tory party is irrelevant.'

Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Badenoch urges business leaders to ‘get on the pitch' and support Tories
The Conservative leader also appealed to business leaders to support her party, suggesting there was no credible alternative which would represent their interests. Speaking at the FTSE 250+ conference in central London, Mrs Badenoch said: 'My message to business is: I'm on your side, but I need you to be on mine too.' The Tory leader's appearance at the gathering came as the latest gross domestic product (GDP) figures showed the UK economy shrank more than expected, the day after the Government unveiled spending plans prioritising health and defence over the next few years. Speaking to an audience of business and investment chiefs, Mrs Badenoch hit out at Labour's tax rises, including the inheritance tax on family farms and national insurance employer contributions. She added: 'You need to support policies that back enterprise, and you need to challenge those who want more state control. 'Don't just wait for other politicians to do it. 'You need to get on the pitch too.' The Tory leader claimed the UK has 'forgot that business is a good in and of itself, and it pays for everything. It is the source of our prosperity'. Mrs Badenoch added: 'The challenge all of us in this room have now is that many people don't believe this anymore.' People instead believe 'business hoards wealth' and is 'greedy and needs to be taxed more', she said. Mrs Badenoch continued: 'This is a crisis. 'And the question before us is simple: Who has credible solutions? 'And I know many of you will be asking, 'Why should we trust the Conservative Party?' 'And I say because no-one is making the argument for business … except me and my party.' At PMQs I talked about Labour creating an economic spiral. A reminder we have 4 more years of this… — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 12, 2025 Mrs Badenoch's rallying call to businesses comes after the most recent political donations data showed a boost to the Tory war chest. The Conservatives raised nearly £3.4 million in the first quarter of 2025, the Electoral Commission revealed this week, outstripping Labour's £2.4 million and Reform UK's £1.5 million. Labour offers only 'managed decline', Mrs Badenoch also told business chiefs, before taking aim at Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Mrs Badenoch appealed to the audience, signalling voters cannot 'allow Farage, with no experience of legislating – he's never in Parliament, let alone government – to just come in'. She added: 'Can you imagine 360 random people suddenly taking over government saying they are going to fix everything? 'We were there for 14 years, sweating and labouring, it was unbelievably difficult. 'How many of you would allow your businesses to be run by people who have never been in that business and say 'Come on in, I'm sure you can fix it'? 'That's what he's offering, it's not real. 'It is a scam, and it's my job to expose that scam.' A Reform UK spokesman said: 'Kemi admits they had 14 years and yet all they achieved was sky high taxes, low growth and open borders. 'The only scam is her telling the British public that the Tories have changed. 'It's the same people and the same old failed ideas. 'Quite simply, the Tory party is irrelevant.'