The Reform civil war has further escalated after Ben Habib, who was ousted as Deputy Leader by Nigel Farage after the election, is considering joining forces with suspended MP Rupert Lowe to form a new party in a challenge to Farage. The Telegraph has the story.
Ben Habib, the former Brexit party MEP, served as co-Deputy Leader for Reform until after the General Election, when Mr Farage replaced him with Richard Tice.
Mr Habib, who ran for Reform in the Wellingborough and Rushden by-election last year, then quit the party citing concerns about “control of the party and the decision-making processes”.
The politician has been an outspoken supporter of Mr Lowe, who was suspended by the party on Friday after being accused of bullying and making threats.
Mr Habib said that the Great Yarmouth MP is a “good friend” and he is “constantly in touch with” him, adding that the pair “are both in politics for the same reason”.
Asked if he would consider a return to front-line politics if Mr Lowe were to split from the party, he told the Telegraph: “Ultimately the reason I joined Reform and the reason I stood for Reform in Wellingborough is because the only way you can make a difference is electorally.”
He added: “You’ve got to be at the ballot box and hold the electoral system to account… so the answer is yes, I think.”
The comments signal that Mr Lowe and Mr Habib could form a splinter group on the Right to challenge Mr Farage and Reform.
Mr Lowe, a successful businessman, told the Daily Mail a day before his suspension that Mr Farage was acting like a “messiah” and criticised his ability to delegate.
On Friday, Reform announced it had reported Mr Lowe to the police over allegations that he made threats of physical violence against Zia Yusuf, its Chairman.
In a statement, it said Mr Lowe had also been accused of bullying two female members of staff. Mr Lowe has categorically denied the claims, which he described as a “witch hunt”.
The party is now conducting an independent inquiry into the allegations, having appointed a KC to investigate.
Mr Farage wrote in the Telegraph at the weekend that he had been “surprised and saddened” by behaviour exhibited by his colleague. …
Mr Lowe hit back and claimed that Reform had tried to silence him over his “outspoken” views on migration, and had been “warned” by party leadership.
He also claimed that the KC appointed to the investigation said there was “zero evidence” against him, but the lawyer involved denied making such comments to the BBC on Monday.
The Great Yarmouth MP has also claimed that the bullying complaints for which he was thrown out of the party were not about him.
Andrew Bridgen, a former Tory MP, said on X that one of the members of staff used to work in his parliamentary office.
He wrote on Monday: “The plot thickens. One of my former parliamentary aides went on to work for Rupert Lowe: she is one of the staff involved in these allegations against him.
“She has told me that her original complaint had nothing to do with Rupert personally and was related to the actions of another member of his staff. I have her permission to post this tweet.”
Lee Anderson, the Reform party whip, said in response: “The written complaints include allegations about the conduct of Mr Lowe. I ask that Mr Lowe respects the independence of the investigation and refrains from making further false public statements.”
Worth reading in full.
On Substack, Patrick O’Flynn says the rift is not just personal but reflects a growing divide between the Right of the party and the leadership on the issue of immigration and mass deportations:
The rift with Lowe is partly down to ideological differences over the totemic issue of immigration. Lowe is the uncompromising voice of the party’s Right-wing, demanding the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. He also wants many recent legal arrivals to have indefinite leave to remain withheld so they can be ushered out of the door too when their visas expire. These robust opinions have connected with huge numbers of online Right-leaning folk.
Farage, by contrast, has softened his rhetoric on immigration-related issues over recent months, saying that if Reform takes on the whole of Islam it will lose and that largescale repatriations are not achievable. Farage and his inner-circle have ironically embarked upon a ‘Vote Leave’ strategy, named after the more centrist official Brexit campaign that he bitterly opposed at the time.
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