Reform Watch: AI deepfakes, US lobbying and a meltdown in Kent
Each week we cast over eyes over what Reform have been up to - from proclamations to the detail of how their attempts to run councils are going.
The Lead is keeping an eye on Reform UK and their fellow travellers. Get in touch on X, Bluesky and Instagram or email ella@thelead.uk with tips and stories. We especially want to hear from readers whose local council is now run by Farage’s followers. In today’s edition:
First up, four Reform UK councillors have been suspended from Kent County Council after a leaked video from a digital meeting, shared by the Guardian, that showed a Jackie Weaver-style meltdown in which leader, Linden Kemkaran, tells councillors to “f*cking suck it up” and that they will be “screwed” if they don’t balance Kent’s budget.
Liz Williams, a Reform UK candidate who sued over her election defeat in Worcestershire in May was found to have used fake, AI-”hallucinated” legal authorities to back her case. She has been handed a £19,000 court bill, which she said will “destroy my life”.
A video that appears to show Conservative MP George Freeman announcing his defection to Reform UK has been debunked as fake and likely AI-generated by the fact-checking organisation Full Fact. Freeman said: “I have reported this matter to the relevant authorities, and I urge anyone who sees the video to report it immediately rather than share it further.”
In rather expected news, the Times revealed that Reform UK has likely ‘forgotten’ to pay VAT on tickets and merchandise. Filings by the party published in August showed that it made £438,296 from “merchandise sales and events” last year, far above the £90,000 threshold.
Reform UK has also been linked to the US-based Alliance Defending Freedom, one of America’s most influential conservative Christian groups, famous for being an architect of the effort that helped overturn Roe v. Wade and end the constitutional right to an abortion. Our Westminster editor Zoë Grünewald interviewed the New York Times’ Jane Bradley, who uncovered the links, on The Bunker podcast.
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