Reform-run Kent 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.
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.
Reform-led Kent County Council will remove Pride and Ukrainian flags, kentlive.news
Tag: Ukraine
‘Posturing’: Farage’s Reform-quake so far limited to small acts of ‘war on woke’
Reform promised much to voters and now runs £8bn worth of public services. After three weeks, what has party accomplished?
When Nigel Farage held a victory lap of England after his mammoth local elections win on 1 May, he was characteristically bullish about Reform UK’s plan to shake up town halls.
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Yet three weeks into power in nine of England’s cash-starved local authorities – where Reform UK now runs £8bn worth of public services – Farage’s “Reform-quake” has been limited to smaller but symbolic acts of the “war on woke”.
In Kent and Durham, councils with a combined £1bn of debt, one of Reform’s first acts was to take down the Ukrainian flag – hoisted to show solidarity with the war-besieged nation – and vowed not to fly rainbow-coloured flags in support of LGBTQ+ residents.
‘Posturing’: Farage’s Reform-quake so far limited to small acts of ‘war on woke’, The Guardian
Row breaks out over Reform banning Ukraine flags from flying above town halls
Reform UK will only allow the union jack, St George’s flag and county flags on council buildings
Reform UK will ban councils from flying Ukraine’s flag in support of the war-torn country, allowing only the union, county and St George’s flags on council buildings.
Councils across the country have flown the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
“No other flags will be permitted to be flown on its flagpoles, balconies, reception desks or council chamber walls,” chairman Zia Yusuf said.
As well as banning the Ukraine flag, Reform’s plan would prevent councils from displaying pride flags.
Row breaks out over Reform banning Ukraine flags from flying above town halls, Independent
Major law firm sacks Reform candidate after ‘I hate Islam’ tweet
Former HR executive made series of ‘offensive remarks’ in social media posts
A Reform UK candidate has been sacked by one of the world’s top law firms after he posted “I hate Islam” on social media.
Dan Cooper, a former “senior HR business partner” at law firm CMS, was axed after he was revealed to have made a series of tweets on controversial topics including Islam, transgender rights and the war in Ukraine.
Major law firm sacks Reform candidate after ‘I hate Islam’ tweet, Telegraph