Embattled Reform council leader calls for backing

Reform UK has said Linden Kemkaran has the party's support

The under-fire Reform UK leader of Kent County Council (KCC) has called on fellow councillors to back her in writing.

Advised by party headquarters to do so, councillor Linden Kemkaran sent a note calling on members to sign a statement in support of her leadership to "counter all the negativity", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It comes after a damaging clip of Kemaran was leaked to The Guardian showing her shouting and swearing during a council meeting.

The Liberal Democrat opposition at KCC called the letter an act of "desperation".

'Squabbling behind the scenes'

The statement councillors have been urged to sign says Kemkaran is the "best person for the job", who is leading with "courage, integrity and discipline".

It says that leading KCC - England's largest local authority - is an "almost impossible task for one person".

It adds: "But Linden rose to the challenge without hesitation. She has the opposition firmly on the run and under her guidance.

"Reform UK members are flourishing in their roles."

Deputy leader of the KCC Liberal Democrats, Richard Streatfeild, said: "I don't feel on the run.

"It looks like an act of increasing desperation because she is being told by Reform HQ to get members to back her or sack her."

One Reform backbencher told the LDRS they felt they did not have much choice but to sign the letter, though they did not want to.

They said the move was an attempt by the party HQ to gauge how much support Kemkaran had.

On Sunday, a group of MPs wrote an open letter to Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage calling for Kemkaran to step down amid the fallout from the video.

Earlier, Tristan Osbourne, Labour MP for Chatham and Aylesford, told BBC Radio Kent everyone accepted running a council was "really difficult".

However, he said the clip showed Reform UK was not delivering for residents and instead "squabbling behind the scenes".

He added: "That they are spending their time shoring up her position when they should be filling potholes, delivering support for the most vulnerable and ensuring our libraries and other community services are delivered... tells you something is not right."

A spokesperson for the party previously said Kemkaran had the "overwhelming support" of the group and would remain as leader.

They said Reform UK had "better things to be focusing on than the political posturing of non-entity Labour MPs who are terrified of losing their seats to us at the next election".

Possible no confidence motion

The LDRS has reported Kemkaran could face a vote of no confidence in the coming weeks over the leaked video.

A Reform backbencher, who asked not to be named, has already begun seeking the required number of signatures to spark the possible dismissal, it added.

Reform UK has suspended four councillors after the leak, with Kemkaran branding whoever was behind it as "cowards" who had committed an act of "treachery".

Reform UK took control of KCC in May, wiping out a 30-year Tory majority by securing 57 of the 81 seats at County Hall.

Seven have either had the whip suspended or left the party since then.

Kemkaran has been approached for comment.