Polling predicts that Reform UK could win a majority this May, but their political campaigning has consistently been focused nationally rather than on local policies
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00:00Many say he's one of the most controversial figures in British politics.
00:05Others say he says what he thinks.
00:09Regardless, Nigel Farage and Haith launching Reform UK's Kent County Council election campaign.
00:16His supporters dominating the town.
00:18I'm not manhandling you mate.
00:19You are manhandling me.
00:20I'm just wanting to say hello to our lovely politicians.
00:23But his critics weren't far either.
00:26Kent County Council has almost always been conservative.
00:29But come the 1st of May, polling suggests that Nigel Farage's Reform Party could take control.
00:35He's a well spoken man, isn't he?
00:38I think he'd do well.
00:40We just think that what we've got is rubbish at this moment in time.
00:44We think we've been, you know, as old people, we've been taken for a ride.
00:49I think he does care about giving the people here their local autonomy
00:54and hopefully that will be for the best.
00:57But not everyone was blown away.
00:59Not him though.
01:00Not him?
01:01No, I don't like him.
01:03I don't think it's a real benefit for Kent.
01:08It's difficult to tell. You hear a story and then there's nothing.
01:14There's a big story and then nothing.
01:18Reform UK's policies have traditionally been extremely national.
01:22If they were to take control of KCC, they'd have very little to do with these campaign slogans.
01:29But rather, Mr Farage's party would be facing spiralling adult social care bills.
01:35We've stood in front of your battle bus, three slogans there.
01:38None of those really link to local councils.
01:41So what are you standing for on a local council level?
01:43There are two things here.
01:45Never forget, with even a county election, the national issues still count.
01:50Here we are, 2,000 young men arrived through Dover in eight days just recently.
01:57Not directly a Kent County Council issue, although the knock-on for child services is very real.
02:03So don't forget national issues, they are relevant.
02:07I just think when one party is in power for too long, it needs a shake-up, it needs a change.
02:12What are you going to do?
02:13We're going to come in and fix it.
02:15We're going to come in with a fresh mindset.
02:17We're going to bring our own former doge, which you've seen in America, to Kent.
02:21Get rid of excess, stop wasting money.
02:26At the Maidstone rally last night, he used much of his speech to talk about one of his party's key policies, immigration.
02:35But sprinkled in that some details about what a reformed UK Kent County Council could look like.
02:42He highlighted ways he believes money hasn't been spent efficiently in the past.
02:49They might have put pyros on for members tonight and they hope to cause fireworks on May 1st.
02:55But can reformed UK, a party which stands to such national issues, defeat voters at the election?
03:03David Morris, in Maidstone.