Nigel Farage is said to be ‘horrified’ by Reform UK’s civil war (Image: Getty)
is said to be “horrified” at the civil war tearing apart, reports claim. A former candidate for the party who reportedly has close links to Reform’s HQ has claimed its leader is “shocked” at what is happening.
Reform UK last week stripped Great Yarmouth MP of the whip and accused him of making “threats of physical violence” towards party chairman Zia Yusuf a day after he criticised Mr Farage. Mr Lowe denied the claims, describing the allegation as “vexatious”, adding it was “no surprise” it had come a day after he raised “reasonable and constructive questions” about Mr Farage’s leadership. It came after internal splits within the right-wing party, which now has four MPs. Mr Lowe had claimed to the Daily Mail that Reform remained a “protest party led by the Messiah” under Mr Farage.
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Reform UK’s chairman Zia Yusuf (Image: Getty)
Now a “trusted” former Reform UK candidate has spoken out, telling the same publication Mr Farage is “horrified”. The unnamed insider told : “Nigel is absolutely shocked by the turn of events. He’s horrified.”
Scotland Yard has confirmed . A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “On Thursday, March 6 we received an allegation of verbal threats made by a 67-year-old man on Friday, 13 December. Officers are carrying out an assessment of the allegations to determine what further action may be required.”
In a post on social media, Mr Lowe responded to the chaos, saying: “I feel so sorry for millions of decent British men and women from all over the country who put their faith in Reform. They have been let down by this malicious circus. You all deserve so much better.”
Mr Lowe also said it was the honour of his life to be the MP for Great Yarmouth after he lost the whip amid further allegations of bullying, which he has strenuously denied.
Reform has also said it received evidence of made about women in the MP’s offices, with two separate staffers said to have made allegations – denied by Mr Lowe.
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Rupert Lowe has lost the whip (Image: Getty)
Despite the row, Mr Lowe appeared to offer Mr Farage an olive branch, by inviting him to dinner to resolve the differences “in a manner that [Reform] members and the country would expect”.
Mr Farage has pressed the importance of good behaviour in his party and said the allegations “dented” the “sense of unity” it had been building.
Writing for the Telegraph, Mr Farage said: “If the last general election taught us anything, it is that the public does not like political parties that engage in constant infighting.” He said he was “acutely aware” the “never-ending civil war that came to define the last Conservative government” had contributed to Labour’s majority.
Mr Farage added: “Reform UK matters more now than it has ever done before. That is why it is so important that our party – and every single one of its representatives – behaves responsibly at all times. Nothing less will do.”
The results of a YouGov poll published this week show a third of Reform voters want a new leader while another poll shows 85% of voters don’t know who Mr Lowe is.
Reform UK gained five seats at the general election in July and is eyeing more in forthcoming local and regional elections. Westminster voting intention polling has put the party ahead of the and neck and neck with Labour.
But since the start of the year, polling by Lord Hayward also shows Reform UK fought 27 council seat by-elections, but gained only four seats in total – two each from the and Labour.
In 215 council by-elections since the July election Labour has won 74, the 57 and Reform just 12. They also lost 10 councillors in Derbyshire who quit in protest at Mr Farage’s leadership, according to the Mail.