Can Reform run a council?

Coffee House Shots

The Spectator

News, Politics, Government, Daily News

4.4 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There have been lots of movements in foreign affairs over the weekend, including a potential collapse of the Gaza peace deal, a Trump–Putin bilateral and new revelations about the China spy case. But closer to home, all eyes are on Kent Council, Reform’s flagship administrative project run by Linden Kemkaran (formerly of this parish).

Over the weekend, a Zoom call was leaked to the Guardian, in which council leader Kemkaran used some choice language – many are calling it a Jackie Weaver moment, if you can cast your mind back to 2021. Labour have put out a press release and the Lib Dems are apparently going to capitalise on it with something Traitors-themed, in an attempt to demonstrate that, for all their success in the polls, Reform can’t govern. Will this cut through?

Lucy Dunn speaks to James Heale and Tim Shipman.

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Transcript

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1:17.6	Hello and welcome to Coffee House Shots.
1:20.7	I'm Lucy Dunn and today I'm joined by James Heel and Tim Shipman.
1:44.3	Foreign policy issues are dominating the news, but closer to home, the spotlight is on Reform UK's flagship county council in Kent, after councillor Lyndon and Kim Cattern had her own Jackie Weaver moment over the weekend. We can hear a clip of that now. Sometimes I will make a decision that might not be liked by everybody in the group. But I'm afraid you're just going to have to fucking suck it up, okay? Because I am the democratically elected leader.
1:46.2	James, can you fill us in?
1:49.5	Well, this was all about the frustrations of running a local council.
	...

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