Rupert Lowe has not ruled out setting up a new party, as the extraordinary crisis in Reform triggered by his suspension deepens. The Great Yarmouth MP has vowed to continue representing the town as an independent after he had the whip suspended while an investigation into him is carried out.
Lowe is accused of workplace bullying, and also separately making threats of physical violence against the party’s chairman, Zia Yusuf. He vehemently denies the claims and accused the party of “a smear campaign” and promoting “an entirely false and poisonous narrative”.
The row has split the party, nationally and locally, with senior figures saying he has “burned all bridges” with his colleagues. However, many in the party, and in his Great Yarmouth constituency, have expressed support for him and criticised the leadership.
Asked whether he would consider setting up a rival party to Reform, he said: “I will not be quitting as an MP. I will continue to fight for the good people of Great Yarmouth. I sincerely appreciate all of their support.” The 67-year-old added: “I have been subject to a malicious smear campaign, which has now finally emerged based on allegations that are not even about me. As I have said from the beginning, I am innocent … My responsibility is not to Reform or Nigel Farage. It’s my constituents and my country. They will always be my sole priority.”
What led to this?
Lowe, who was elected as one of five Reform MPs in July last year, believes he is being subjected to a “witch hunt” after he criticised Farage’s leadership of Reform in a Daily Mail article last week, saying it needed to change from being a “protest party” led by a “messiah figure”.
The following day, the party announced that Lowe had been suspended and an investigation launched by an independent KC. He was also referred to the police over accusations he made threats of violence against the party’s chairman. The Metropolitan Police has confirmed they are assessing an allegation of “verbal threats”.
Tensions between Lowe and Farage had been evident long before last week, with the Yarmouth MP seen by some – including Elon Musk, the US tech tycoon – as a potential challenger to the Reform leader.
What do we know about the allegations?
Lowe has claimed that the allegations of workplace bullying actually relate to staff members and not himself and also that the lawyer appointed to investigate them had told him there was “no credible evidence” against him.
However, the lawyer has rebuked his comments. “I have not expressed either ‘dismay’ or ‘shock’ at any time as to the process. Nor have I said ‘there is zero credible evidence against [Lowe]’, let alone said this ‘repeatedly’,” the lawyer said. She also confirmed that she is investigating allegations made against both Lowe and his constituency manager.
Lowe said: “These are allegations from two individuals who only raised complaints once a disciplinary proceeding had been raised against them, for serious offences which they both admitted to. No complaints were raised before their disciplinary meetings. These are vexatious complaints. There has been no bullying. There is no credible evidence. I have repeatedly asked for it, and none has been provided. This is a witch hunt.”
The businessman has also stated in posts on X that he had been told senior Reform figures had been briefing journalists that he has dementia, claims he described as “sick”.
He wrote: “I have been informed by a reliable source that ‘senior Reform figures’ have been briefing journalists that I have dementia. In politics, there is rough and tumble. I get that. But this is sick. What they are doing to me is disgusting.”
Farage has defended his party’s actions, saying Lowe has managed to fall out with “all of his parliamentary colleagues” and that the allegations “could not be ignored”. He said there had been “too many” outbursts from Lowe involving the use of inappropriate language. He referenced a spat between Lowe and transport secretary Mike Kane during a Commons debate about the MV Ruby, a ship that docked in Great Yarmouth carrying a potentially explosive cargo of contaminated fertiliser. He wrote in the Telegraph: “I have been surprised and saddened at this behaviour.”
‘Huge support’
While Reform’s leaders have turned against him, Lowe continues to have “huge support” locally, according to Nick Taylor, chairman of the Norwich branch. He has signalled there is a significant rupture among Norfolk’s Reformers following the suspension.
Taylor, who says he has “the highest regard” for Lowe, Farage and Yusuf, said: “I hope there is a place for Rupert in Reform in the future but to a certain extent, his posts on social media indicate that he has burned all bridges. There is no doubt about it, Rupert Lowe is a huge favourite in Norfolk and across the country, he speaks the sort of language that most Reformers feel themselves. This is clearly a huge disappointment to Reform voters. We are the biggest grassroots political movement since the formation of the Labour Party, which is bigger than Nigel Farage or Rupert Lowe, we need to remind ourselves of that moving forward.”
‘Dark day for Yarmouth’
Rival politicians in his Yarmouth constituency have said the row is a “lose-lose” situation for Lowe. Daniel Candon, a senior Conservative councillor in Great Yarmouth, said: “If any of these allegations prove to be true after investigation, it will be a dark day for parliamentary representation in Great Yarmouth. Mr Lowe denies the claims alleged by his own party, which he has a right to do. Either way, Reform or our MP have let the people of our borough down. This is a lose-lose situation for them all. The people of Great Yarmouth deserve better than seeing their voice in Parliament being drowned out by all this nonsense.”
Trevor Wainwright, leader of the Labour group added: “Rupert Lowe was voted in as a Reform MP but now we have an independent – not what people voted for. There appears no way back for him into Reform. He will have less influence in the House of Commons than before. It is now left to the Labour group to continue working closely with the government to secure more investment in the town.”
Lowe’s political future remains uncertain, but his defiance signals that the turmoil within Reform is far from over. Whether he remains an independent MP, launches a new party, or attempts to mend ties, his suspension has exposed deep fractures within Reform’s ranks. As the investigation continues, the people of Great Yarmouth are left wondering whether their MP’s battle is truly about their interests – or just another chapter in the party’s internal war.
