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ITV News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
New Reform-led Kent County Council will remove Pride and Ukrainian flags
ITV Meridian's political correspondent Kit Bradshaw has been speaking to the new leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran. A Reform-run county council will not fly a Pride flag this summer and will remove the Ukrainian flag from the chamber, the new council leader confirmed. At the beginning of May, Reform swept to a local elections victory in Kent taking 57 of 81 council seats, wiping out a Conservative majority which had stood for almost 30 years. On Thursday, councillors heard from the new leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaran, at their annual general meeting at County Hall in Maidstone, Kent. Ms Kemkaran, Kent's Reform leader, told the chamber her new administration had little time for 'special interest groups' or the flags that represent them. 'The Union Jack, the flag of St George and the flag of Kent, they are the identity that we all share and it is that identity that we need to focus on,' she said. Her words were met with raucous applause and table thumping from the Reform benches, likened to a 'political rally' by the council's opposition leader, Liberal Democrat Antony Hook. 'We are here to unite not divide and that's why we don't have much time for special interest groups and flags that represent special interest groups,' added Ms Kemkaran. The new Kent County Council leader also told the chamber she was looking to create a department of government efficiency (Doge) to root out problems in the council. Opposition leader Mr Hook voiced fears that the Reform administration would be taking instructions from the national leaders of Reform UK. L Outside the chamber, he said: 'It was really shocking to me that in a recent podcast the leader of Reform said that she had to sort of take instructions from Reform's national chairman. 'That's the sort of thing we've never heard at Kent County Council before. Under different administrations it's always been clear that policy is made in Kent by county councillors not taking instructions from national parties.' Concerns were also raised by opposition councillors about the future of environmental initiatives across the county. Before the meeting, Ms Kemkaran said: 'My focus will be on examining every single so-called net zero initiative and seeing whether it does really offer value for money or any benefits for the residents of Kent and if we find that it doesn't then it will be scrapped.' The new Reform-led council is yet to announce which committees are to be kept from previous Conservative administrations. Ms Kemkaran warned against 'knee-jerk' reactions in her first speech to the chamber. 'The people of Kent turned out in their thousands to vote for us because they didn't want the same old people doing the same old things and achieving the same old results,' Ms Kemkaran said. Labour Councillor and campaigner Maureen Cleator Mr Hook commented on the atmosphere within the chamber. He said: 'Today was really strange, there were constant rounds of applause, there was table thumping. I've never seen that in a county council chamber before. 'Reform were acting like they were at a political rally rather than the first meeting of an authority that's here to do important work.' Labour Councillor and campaigner Maureen Cleator said: 'I was an Army wife. "My son goes over to Ukraine to offer support and training as a veteran and I don't think people understand what's going on there. "And to be quite honest, if the most we do is fly a flag to show solidarity, then what's wrong with that.'
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Look at how Reform speaks about minorities. Why would Labour want to mimic this nasty party?
Reform UK's ascendancy to power has at times felt like watching the cliched slow-motion car crash: a wounded Tory party, the rise of rightwing populism across the globe, a damp squib of a Labour government, then – bam! – staggering local election wins accompanied by Nigel Farage grinning on the morning news. Except, rather than it being a soft collision, you could be forgiven for feeling some whiplash. With the full picture of Thursday's results now in, one thing is clear: just seven years after forming out of the bones of Ukip and the Brexit party, Reform has had a sweeping victory across large swathes of English councils. Farage's party gained almost 650 council seats, taking control of ten local authorities. In the coming weeks, there will be plenty of time for postmortems on how exactly we got here – the decades-long political and economic failings that have enabled a party whose selected candidates have compared black people to 'savages' and praised Hitler to get a hold on the levers of government. We should talk about all of it, the uncomfortable and the shameful: from big tech's place in spreading misinformation and conspiracies, to the role of the BBC in platforming Farage over the years (while relegating the Greens), to ever-plummeting living standards and the seeming lack of interest of the major parties to raise them. And yet, for now, as we watch the map turn an ominous shade of turquoise, I can't stop my mind from going over the comments Farage was making on the days running up to the elections. Asked at a press conference about the rising number of children with special educational needs and disabilities, and what could be done to help them, Farage replied: 'It's a massive problem. I have to say, for my own money, when you get to 18 and you put somebody on a disability register, unemployed, with a high level of benefits, you're telling people aged 18 that they're victims. And if you are told you're a victim, and you think you're a victim, you are likely to stay [a victim].' Farage's comments on trans people and the recent supreme court ruling were comparatively measured ('an outbreak of common sense', he called it on X), but the niggling unease such views foster among progressives is the same. Each nasty reactionary comment by Reform followed by the reward of an electoral gain feels as if it eats away at a diverse and decent society, pulling back hard-won tolerance while validating the worst prejudices. It is a dread that many of us will have felt over the last few days: that there is an ugliness infecting our politics – and an increasing chasm between the country we want to be, the country we actually are and the politicians we elect. Such ugliness is no longer merely rhetoric. Hours after former Conservative minister Andrea Jenkyns became the new Reform mayor of Greater Lincolnshire with a victory speech arguing tents are 'good enough' for asylum seekers to live in, Farage pledged that Reform-run councils and mayoralties will block asylum seeker accommodation. Local elections traditionally act as an unofficial referendum on national politics – a rare chance for voters in Wirral to 'send a message' to Westminster. As the one-year anniversary of Labour's landslide on the promise of 'change' approaches, it is not hard to see that the conditions are ripe for cynicism, anger and protest. More and more people – already reeling from a decade that gave us austerity, Brexit and Partygate – are becoming deeply disillusioned not only about the state of Britain but about politics as a means to improve it. If you have no hope of getting on the housing ladder, your wages don't cover the weekly shop or you live in pain but can't even get a GP appointment, the lure of rightwing populism's simple answers to complex problems is almost rational. This is only exacerbated by the fact that the positive things that Labour is doing for low-income voters – say, the employment rights bill and the rise in the minimum wage – are mentioned so rarely by ministers you would think they were state secrets. That in his first speech since the local elections, Keir Starmer chose to speak not about the cost of living crisis at a supermarket or waiting lists at a hospital but about Ukraine at a drone-manufacturing facility was a clear enough symbol of what led many voters to put their cross next to Reform. Here is the good news. Evidence consistently shows that the British public is progressive – and becoming more progressive still – in their attitudes on issues such as migration, homosexuality, industrial action, and abortion. If Labour learns the correct lessons from the local elections, it will tell a story about the country that reflects this spirit, and launch a policy agenda that rebuilds hope and trust – from investment in public services, supporting disabled people into jobs rather than cutting their benefits, bold housing pledges and a fully funded child poverty strategy to making the case for safe and humane asylum routes. The alternative is a Labour government tacking ever further to the right, trying to beat populism by mimicking it. We will all be Farage's victims then. Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist. Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls' Guide to Life is available from the Guardian Bookshop
The Independent
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Reform offers home working jobs despite vowing to crack down on working from home
Reform UK is offering staff the chance to work from home despite vowing to scrap remote working when it takes over councils, it has emerged. A job advert for Reform's south central regional director promises ' home working with occasional travel within the region'. The £50,000-per-year role is being advertised online just days after Reform leader Nigel Farage promised that nobody working for a Reform-run council will be allowed to do so from home. After taking control of 10 councils, Mr Farage said those with jobs relating to climate change or diversity or who work from home 'all better really be seeking alternative careers very, very quickly'. Asked what his party's priority would be, Mr Farage told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We are deeply dissatisfied with the way that county councils and unitaries in Britain have been running their budgets. 'We look at the millions a year being spent, in many cases, on consultants. We look at the money being spent on climate change; on areas that county councils, frankly, shouldn't even be getting involved in.' He added: 'No more work from home, increased productivity. That won't be a magic wand, it won't solve every problem, but it will be a good start and we'll be judged on that.' Sharing the Reform job advert, Labour's Stella Creasy said the hypocrisy was 'glorious'. 'Apparently if you want to work for Reform, you can work from home,' she added. Several other Reform job adverts offered applicants home working. Reform said the regional organisers cannot easily attend the party's single London office, but staff based in the capital work from the office five days a week. The job posting came as The Independent revealed Reform mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns ' vow to get rid of council diversity officers as one of her first acts in Lincolnshire has fallen flat as the county council doesn't employ any. Mr Farage and Dame Andrea put getting rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officers at the top of their agenda as they impose their own version of Elon Musk 's cost-cutting Doge on the county. Ms Jenkyns said: 'We are going to have a Lincolnshire Doge. We are going to ensure that we get rid of diversity officers because amazingly Lincolnshire County Council is now Reform controlled. That is a historic moment.' However, The Independent unearthed a freedom of information answer from Lincolnshire County Council, where Reform now has a majority, stating: 'Lincolnshire County Council does not employ any diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officers.' The council had been asked how many DEI officers it employed and what their salaries were. The answer was issued in March just before the local election campaign began in the county. But in response, Ms Jenkyns told The Independent that another one of the three councils under her remit as the combined authority in the county, North Lincolnshire Council, does have diversity officers.
The Guardian
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Reform UK to resist housing asylum seekers in its council areas, chair says
Reform UK has vowed to use 'every instrument of power' to resist housing people seeking asylum in areas where it now controls councils, its chair has confirmed. Zia Yusuf, the party chair and a major donor, acknowledged it may not be able to stop people seeking asylum being put up in hotels where the Home Office has contracts with accommodation providers. However, he said the party would use 'judicial reviews, injunctions, planning laws' in an effort to prevent them being accommodated. 'You know, a lot of these hotels – there has been litigation around this already – a lot of these hotels, when you suddenly turn them into something else which is essentially a hostel that falls foul of any number of regulations, and that's what our teams of lawyers are exploring at the moment,' Yusuf told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme. Yusuf's comments were made after Nigel Farage, Reform's leader, said he would 'resist' those seeking asylum being housed in the 10 council areas where his party had taken control after winning more than 670 seats overall in Thursday's elections. Since then, the party has come under scrutiny over some of its promises to slash spending at councils and prevent the housing of asylum seekers. The party has said it wants to cut diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) officers and work at the councils it controls, despite this being a very small part of their budgets, with most money spent on social care and education. Yusuf said Reform would introduce task forces to audit spending in the councils where it has won control and suggested the party would be digging into what council job roles involved in order to cut costs. 'If you take Lincolnshire county council, yes, they do not currently have somebody with the job title 'DEI officer', [but] they do spend considerable money on DEI initiatives,' he said. Yusuf said the party was 'realistic' about the fact the levers of change at a local level 'pale in comparison' to the powers of Westminster. 'That's why this is part of a journey to making Nigel the prime minister with a Reform majority,' he said. Andrea Jenkyns, Reform's new Greater Lincolnshire mayor and a former Conservative MP, also confirmed her suggestion that migrants could be housed in tents, saying the UK was 'acting like bees to honey by putting people in hotels'. 'This is taxpayers' money and it should actually be tents, not rent,' the former Tory minister told LBC. Jenkyns also said she wanted to cut up to 10% of Lincolnshire county council's staff and 'root out the waste' at the local authority. 'I think, personally, [we] ought to look at maybe cutting the workforce by up to 10%. We've got to have a lean, mean local government.' 'That's what I personally like to see, but again there's variables there, because we haven't elected a Reform county council leader yet, so there's got to be discussions.' Jenkyns also said she was 'up for a fight' with the unions, after the head of Unison urged staff at Reform-run councils to join them and secure union protection.
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Nigel Farage will go to court to halt asylum seekers being housed in Reform-run areas as party faces legal battle
NIGEL Farage is ready to go to court to stop asylum seekers being housed in Reform-run areas. A legal battle with Ministers is now on the cards within 100 days in a major push to close migrant hotels blighting communities. 5 5 5 The battle-hardy tactics were revealed by party chair Zia Yusuf who revealed 'every instrument of power' will be deployed by local authorities. The move follows Sir Keir Starmer declaring he would bring asylum hotels, costing £5.5 million PER DAY, to an end in an election pledge. winning control of ten local authorities. Mr Yusuf told the BBC: 'Those levers of power will be pulled with all of our might by Reform councils, we'll use every instrument of power available to us to stop it. 'And there are things you can do, there are judicial reviews, there are injunctions, there's a lot of different things can be done, things around planning.' He conceded that the 'levers of power' were greater from Westminster but attempts would be made despite contracts between the Home Office and accommodation providers. He told the BBC: "You know, a lot of these hotels - there has been litigation around this already. 'A lot of these hotels, when you suddenly turn them into something else, which is essentially a hostel that falls foul of any number of regulations. And that's what our teams of lawyers are exploring at the moment." He said his party had pledged to "resist" housing asylum seekers in Reform controlled areas. Mr Yusuf told The Telegraph the legal action could be launched by the autumn. He said: 'Reform-controlled councils will launch the resistance to the dispersal of illegal immigrants into their communities within their first 100 days.' The victories last week, including the Runcorn by-election, led Mr Farage to insist he was on course to be Prime Minister. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said it was feasible that Mr Farage could enter Downing Street – saying Anthony Albanese came back to win there having been written off. She told the BBC: "As I said, anything is feasible. Anthony Albanese: people were writing him off. He has just won a landslide, but my job is to make sure that he (Farage) does not become prime minister because he does not have the answers to the problems the country is facing." 5 5
