UK Reform secures fresh Dartford victories as Tories lose ground again
Reform UK has chalked up another notable win in Kent, capturing two more council seats in Dartford — both previously held by the Conservatives.
The political shift deepens the party’s local momentum following their dramatic sweep of Kent County Council earlier this May.
In Thursday night’s vote, Reform candidates Stephen Ridley and James Buchan emerged victorious in Maypole & Leyton Cross and Stone House wards, respectively.
Both seats had been vacated by outgoing Conservative councillors Kyle Stealey and Tom Oliver due to relocation.
Ridley stormed to victory with nearly 54% of the vote. Buchan clinched his win with 45%, amid strikingly low voter turnout — 25% and 15% in the two wards.
A party spokesperson hailed the result as “a sign of voters’ rejection of Conservative and Labour failure and ineptitude.”
This double win follows Reform UK’s seismic achievement at Kent County Council on May 1, where the party seized 57 out of 81 seats, ending nearly three decades of Conservative control at County Hall.
Cllr Maxwell Harrison, chief whip for Reform UK at KCC, celebrated the Dartford wins, saying: “Reform UK is delighted to have won both contests in Dartford last night.
This is concrete evidence that not only are voters in Kent rejecting the failure and ineptitude of Labour and the Tories, but under the leadership of Cllr Linden Kemkaran, Reform UK’s administration in KCC is delivering for local people and that residents already feel the positive impact of our common sense agenda.”
Meanwhile, Dartford Borough Council’s Conservative leader, Cllr Jeremy Kite, admitted the result was disappointing. He himself lost his KCC seat to Reform in May.
“We had two very good candidates for those wards and I have no doubt they would have done a good job,” he said.
“We will welcome our new members into the chamber and we will be respectful to them and hope they can make a positive contribution.
People are still angry at the main parties at a national level and particularly so at the Labour government.
But I have to say we did not detect any anger towards the council itself on the doorstep and did not face any hostility.”
The latest wins mean Reform UK now holds three seats on Dartford Borough Council. While the Conservatives remain in control with 26 councillors, the growing Reform presence is impossible to ignore.
Locally, the message is clear. Voters are restless. Change is in the air. And in Kent, at least, Reform UK is making sure it’s felt.
