Reform UK’s ‘sense of unity has been dented’ after Rupert Lowe row but party ‘acted responsibly’, Farage says

By Josef Al Shemary

Nigel Farage has said that the public "does not like political parties that engage in constant infighting", in his first intervention since Rupert Lowe had the Reform UK whip suspended.

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The party reported the Great Yarmouth MP to the police, and Scotland Yard has said a complaint of "verbal threats" made on Thursday about an alleged incident last December was being assessed by officers.

Reform also 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.

Nigel Farage has now broken his silence after Mr Lowe's whip was removed, and said the party 'acted responsibly' in dealing with the matter.

The leader of the party stressed the importance of good behaviour in the party and said the allegations had "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."

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He said he was "acutely aware" that 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."

In the Reform statement released on Friday afternoon, Mr Lowe was accused of having "on at least two occasions made threats of physical violence" to party chairman Zia Yusuf.

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".

Reform confirmed that Mr Lowe had lost the whip.

In the same piece, Mr Farage said Reform has "a duty of care to every single member of staff" and the chairman was "entirely right" to appoint a KC to "conduct an independent inquiry" into the bullying complaints.

"It is inconceivable that we could simply ignore such allegations," Mr Farage added.

In a post on X, Mr Lowe said "the process has been handled so appallingly", and accused Mr Farage of "an entirely false and poisonous narrative".

He added: "This isn't about me, or you, or any petty personal differences you may have with me. This is about our members, our supporters, our country."

In a message on X on Saturday morning, Mr Lowe pressed concerns about communication in the party, and said: "I can only smash my head against a brick wall for so long".

He asked party leader Mr Farage to "resolve this in a manner that our members and the country would expect".

"I am going to now repeat publicly an invitation that I have extended to Nigel Farage in private multiple times over many months," Mr Lowe said.

"Every offer has been refused or ignored.

"Please, let's have dinner and resolve this in a manner that our members, and the country, would expect."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said on Friday: "On Thursday 6 March 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."

It comes after internal splits within the right-wing party, which has five MPs, opened up on Thursday as Mr Lowe told the Daily Mail that Reform remains a "protest party led by the Messiah" under Mr Farage.

Asked whether the former Ukip leader had the potential to become prime minister, as his supporters have suggested, Mr Lowe said: "It's too early to know whether Nigel will deliver the goods.

"He can only deliver if he surrounds himself with the right people." On Friday, Mr Lowe pointed to the timing of the complaint, describing the move as a "malicious attempt to drag my name through the mud".

"A complete inability to accept even the most mild constructive criticism without such a malicious reaction is not effective leadership," he said.