Reform UK was in meltdown last night after the party revealed it had stripped the whip from Rupert Lowe, one of its five MPs, amid allegations of bullying staff and violent threats. The Mail has more.
In an explosive statement, party Chairman Zia Yusuf and Chief Whip Lee Anderson said Rupert Lowe was being investigated over complaints by two female employees.
They also said the Great Yarmouth MP – who will now sit in the House of Commons as an independent MP after having the Reform whip withdrawn – had been reported to police over astonishing allegations he physically threatened Mr Yusuf.
But Mr Lowe immediately hit back at the party’s “untrue and false” claims and said he had been “knifed” for publicly questioning Nigel Farage’s leadership of Reform.
He also denied the party’s suggestion he was refusing to cooperate with the bullying probe, which is said to involve “derogatory and discriminatory remarks”.
An independent KC has been drafted in to look at the “veracity” of the allegations, but Mr Lowe dismissed it as a “minor staff matter” based on “zero credible evidence”.
He railed against the party’s “vexatious” statement, issued shortly after 5pm on Friday evening, and said he would be seeking “legal advice immediately”.
In a lengthy rebuttal to Reform’s statement, the MP said it was “no surprise” party bosses had publicly revealed the bullying probe just a day after he clashed with Mr Farage.
“The day after, I find a knife in my back over false allegations. Whip suspended. That tells you everything you need to know,” Mr Lowe fumed on social media.
In an interview with the Daily Mail on Thursday, Mr Lowe had openly questioned Mr Farage’s leadership and accused him of acting like a “messiah”.
The businessman-turned-politician, a former Chairman of Southampton Football Club, bemoaned his leader’s tight grip on the party and even floated the possibility of him replacing Mr Farage.
But Mr Farage branded the comments as “completely wrong” and swiped that Mr Lowe wouldn’t have had a “cat’s chance in hell” of becoming an MP without him.
The statement from Mr Yusuf and Mr Anderson said: “It is with regret that we feel obligated to disclose that the party received complaints from two female employees about serious bullying in the offices of the MP for Great Yarmouth, Rupert Lowe.
“One worked in his Parliamentary office, the other in his constituency office, we understand complaints have been made to parliamentary authorities.
“Evidence was provided to us of workplace bullying, the targeting of female staff who raised concerns, and evidence of derogatory and discriminatory remarks made about women, including reference to a perceived disability.
“We feel we have a duty of care to all our staff, whether employed directly or indirectly.
“Accordingly, we appointed an independent King’s Counsel to conduct an investigation into the veracity of these complaints. To date, Mr Lowe has yet to cooperate with this investigation.
“In addition to these allegations of a disturbing pattern of behaviour, Mr Lowe has on at least two occasions made threats of physical violence against our party Chairman.
“Accordingly, this matter is with the police. Reform stands for the highest standards of conduct in public life, and we will apply these standards without fear nor favour, including within our own party.”
A Reform UK spokesman later confirmed that Mr Lowe “has had the whip withdrawn”.
Soon after the party’s statement was issued, the Great Yarmouth MP issued a lengthy response on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
Worth reading in full, and read Rupert’s response to the allegations here.
Stop Press: Reform “cannot function” with Rupert Lowe as one of the party’s MPs, its chief whip Lee Anderson has said. The Telegraph has more.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.