Nigel Farage’s English Stronghold Is a Total Circus

Kent merits watching. The county southeast of London was known historically as the garden of England for its wealth of orchards and hop farms. These days, it’s more notable for run-down seaside resorts, beaches that are the destination for small boats carrying asylum seekers, and as a test-case administration for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. The populist party champions British traditions: Its first six months in control of Kent County Council have served up enough slapstick to rival a Punch and Judy show on Margate Sands.

Most notoriously, a leaked video of an internal party meeting last month featured council leader Linden Kemkaran telling members to “****ing suck it up” if they didn’t like her decisions. The party swept to victory in the May local elections, unexpectedly winning 57 out of 81 seats. Expulsions, suspensions and one defection have since cut that to 48, halving its majority. All revolutions devour their children, but most don’t start at breakfast. At the current rate, the Reform group will have consumed itself by the time Kent next votes.