Row over Lord's Prayer proposal for Reform-led Kent County Council

Councillors at Kent County Council are to vote on whether to recite the Lord's Prayer and sing the national anthem at its meetings. A committee at the Reform UK-led council voted to put the rule changes up for a decision by the full council at a later date. Reform councillor Richard Palmer, who chairs the authority, said: "We are a Christian nation." Green Party group leader Mark Hood said: "We should operate in this council in a wholly secular manner to respect the followers of all religions and none." Hood told the committee that constituents would regard the move as "absolutely bonkers". Liberal Democrats group leader Antony Hook said that he thought it was "really inappropriate to, in this workplace, take on a religious practice". Opposition councillors have also argued that the changes would take up time during full council meetings, following earlier discussions about saving time. Restore Britain's Maxine Fothergill said: "I do not see a problem with this and if members do not agree with it, they are welcome to sit it out and come in when the clergy has finished." The council's monitoring officer had advised that the council could not legally include the prayer in its livestr