Reform UK Kent has labelled the complaint as “faux outrage from a group of non-entities”
A Reform UK councillor who threatened to punch a colleague on the jaw in a social media posting is subject to a formal complaint.
Liberal Democrat leader Antony Hook, who is taking the action with support from other opposition groups, said Cllr Peter Osborne’s behaviour risked creating a “hostile environment”.
Cllr Hook has lodged a case with KCC’s Monitoring Officer, who may choose to investigate the matter further and send it to the Standards Committee.
He is supported by Bill Barrett (Independent Reformers), Mark Hood ( Green Party ), Harry Rayner (Conservatives), Connie Nolan and Alister Brady (Labour) and Paul Thomas (The Independent Group).
Cllr Osborne, who represents Hythe, sent the message after another Reform member leaked a video of a heated virtual meeting to a national newspaper.
In a group chat, he wrote on October 19: “I’m hoping this mole is a bloke so I can punch him right in the jaw.”
He later explained he was expressing his frustration at the leak of the video, which showed Reform UK leader Linden Kemkaran swearing and raising her voice at her members and has issued a statement.
It says: “I made an ill-judged remark in a private WhatsApp conversation during a moment of anger following a serious breach of trust. That language was wrong, it was never intended as a threat, and I apologised for it at the time.
“No action was ever contemplated, and there has been no suggestion of violence beyond a poorly chosen expression in a private exchange.
“It is notable that this is being raised weeks after the incident and after the matter was addressed, suggesting an attempt to reopen it for political purposes rather than any genuine concern.
“My focus remains on delivering for residents, saving tens of millions of pounds, fixing Kent’s roads and getting on with the job Kent people elected us to do.”
Reform UK Kent has also issued a statement labelling the complaint “faux outrage from a group of non-entities”.
But most people outside his KCC group were unimpressed with the language and tone of the posting, despite it being made in private.
The opposition complaint also calls into question whether KCC leader Linden Kemkaran’s and her chief whip Maxwell Harrison’s allegedly condoned what Cllr Osborne did.
Cllr Hook said: “It is important that councillors conduct themselves in a professional way that shows leadership for the thousands of people who work for KCC and the wider community.
“Councillors are committed to following a code of conduct. Telling a WhatsApp group of a large number of colleagues that you want to punch one of your colleagues clearly risks creating a hostile environment and is not acceptable.
“It is also concerning if people who saw it did not challenge it. Mr Osborne has offered no apology for his behaviour. We have asked the council’s monitoring officer to investigate this.”
Co-signatory Cllr Barrett, of the Independent Reformers, said: “This type of behaviour cannot be tolerated and needs to be investigated at the highest level as soon as possible.”
Green Party group leader Cllr Mark Hood described Cllr Osborne’s actions as “beyond the pale”. He added: “In all the years I have been a councillor, I have never come across a situation where a councillor has offered violence to another as a solution.
“It’s beyond the pale, isn’t it? Cllr Osborne has not apologised for his actions and, in fact, seemed to double down on them. This seems to be the approach of the Reform UK group, that this behaviour is almost condoned.”
Conservative group leader Cllr Harry Rayner said: “I find threats of violence towards other councillors to be abhorrent and that’s why I’ve signed the letter of complaint to the KCC monitoring officer together with the other opposition leaders.”
The opposition leaders have argued the episode may breach the Nolan principles of public life, which is a guide to ethical standards for those in bodies such as local government.
A Reform UK Kent spokesman issued a statement in response to the complaint that said: “This is little more than faux outrage from a group of non-entities who should be focusing on representing their residents rather than playing embarrassing political games.”
