Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe was suspended from Reform UK amid accusations about his conduct, which he has strenuously denied.
Here is a timeline of the infighting within the party led by Nigel Farage.
– JanuaryElon Musk posted online that Mr Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead Reform UK.
The tech billionaire appeared to suggest that Mr Lowe should take over as Reform UK’s leader, adding: “I have not met Rupert Lowe but his statements online that I have read make a lot of sense.”
– March 6Mr Farage hit back at Mr Lowe after the Great Yarmouth MP said he was not sure if his “messianic qualities” made him a good leader.
Mr Lowe said in an interview that it was “too early to know whether Nigel will deliver” and called for a “proper plan to change the way we govern from top to bottom” before the next election.
Mr Farage told TalkTV that, without his personal following, the party would not have won any of its five seats in Parliament in July.
He also said there would not have been a “cat’s chance in hell” of Mr Lowe winning his seat.
– March 7Reform UK suspended Mr Lowe and reported him to the police, accusing him of threatening violence towards party chairman Zia Yusuf.
Scotland Yard said a complaint of “verbal threats” made on March 6 about an alleged incident last December was being assessed by officers.
In a statement, Reform said it had received evidence of “serious bullying” and “derogatory” remarks made about women in the MP’s offices, with two separate staffers said to have made allegations.
Mr Lowe denied the claims, describing the statement as “vexatious” and saying the complaint to police “obviously went in just after I asked reasonable questions of Reform’s leadership”.
The Great Yarmouth MP urged his supporters to stay in the party as he criticised the party leadership for a “complete inability to accept even the most mild constructive criticism without such a malicious reaction”.
– March 8:Mr Lowe asks Mr Farage to “have dinner” with him after losing the Reform UK whip.
In a message posted on X, Mr Lowe pressed concerns about communication in the party, and said: “I can only smash my head against a brick wall for so long.”
Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Farage said the public “does not like political parties that engage in constant infighting”.
He said the allegations had “dented” the “sense of unity” Reform had been building.
– March 9Mr Lowe said he was “warned” by leadership figures in Reform UK about being “outspoken on the need for a large number of deportations”.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said it was the “right and proper” decision to hold an independent investigation into allegations of bullying in Mr Lowe’s offices.
He said complaints “have to be dealt with in the proper and responsible way” and suggested that people would have been “raging” if the matter had been brushed “under the carpet”.
The lawyer appointed to investigate claims against Mr Lowe denied making statements that the MP attributed to them.
The KC told the BBC that they find themselves “in the unfortunate and regrettable position” of having to correct the record.
– March 11Mr Lowe suggested he was suspended by Reform UK for being a “tall poppy” who threatened to overshadow Mr Farage as the leader claimed there had been a “behavioural problem” for months.
A police investigation was launched into claims of “verbal threats” allegedly made by MP Rupert Lowe.
The Metropolitan Police would not identify the subject of the allegations but released a statement that said: “The Metropolitan Police have now launched an investigation into an allegation of a series of verbal threats made by a 67-year-old man.”
The force said it was claimed that the alleged threats were made between December 2024 and February 2025, and that inquiries were ongoing.
– March 20Mr Lowe said Mr Farage “must never become prime minister” after the party leader allegedly called his behaviour “disgusting” and “contemptible” in leaked private messages.
Mr Farage accused Mr Lowe of “damaging the party just before elections” in a WhatsApp conversation with a member of the Great Yarmouth MP’s staff, the BBC reported.
In his latest attack on Reform, Mr Lowe said: “These messages unquestionably prove that the Reform leadership has zero integrity.”
He added: “I will not work with the rotten and deceitful Reform leadership … Nigel Farage must never be prime minister.”
– March 25An independent KC found “credible evidence of unlawful harassment of two women” by Mr Lowe and “male members of his team”, Reform UK said.
In a post on X, Mr Lowe said Reform was “shamefully attacking my innocent staff to smear my name”.
He added: “This is not right. It’s unprecedented in modern British politics.”
– April 4A KC questioned whether an investigation into Mr Lowe was conducted “independently of the influence” of Reform UK, in a review commissioned on behalf of the suspended politician.
Mr Lowe said the “independent review” showed the investigation conducted on behalf of the party was “fundamentally flawed, unfair, and influenced by political motivations”.
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