HOPE not hate can reveal that Reform’s councillors in Kent are “all wankers” who “hate” and “fight with each other” – according to the party’s own South East organiser.

“All we’ve got to do is show that we can competently run councils,” explained Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice following this May’s local elections, in which the party took control of ten local authorities, including Kent County Council. So, how’s it all going?

Alas, not so well. At Reform’s conference earlier this month one of the party’s own employees, Adam Wordsworth, its South East organiser, spilled the beans.

In comments overheard by our undercover reporter, Wordsworth told a group of members: “I cover Kent and that is the bane of my existence at the moment.”

“It turns out they’re all wankers and it turns out they all hate each other and it turns out all they do is fight with each other rather than reforming the council or attacking the opposition or making savings,” Wordsworth said.

Wordsworth’s assessment of Reform’s Kent councillors not being fans of one another seemed to be confirmed two days after the conference concluded, when one of its councillors, Amelia Randall, defected to UKIP.

Not only is this bad news for the people of Kent, it’s also bad news for Reform.

Back in June, Linden Kemkaran – the council’s Reform leader – told the Daily Telegraph’s podcast that Kent is “the shop window now for Reform, through which the electorate are looking to judge whether they think they can put their trust in a Reform government at the next election to take the reins of power for the entire country”.

For his part, Tice said he’s “very confident we will do an outstanding job” in local government.

If they’re attacking each other rather than doing their jobs, the signs certainly aren’t great.

Last week, HOPE not hate detailed how Reform’s conference displayed a party entranced by conspiracy theories. It also revealed internal division and incompetence.

HOPE not hate contacted Wordsworth for comment, but did not receive a response.