Nigel Farage accused the suspended Reform UK MP, Rupert Lowe, of damaging the party and described his behavior as disgusting in leaked messages that highlight the animosity between the two right-wing politicians. Farage’s criticism came after Lowe referred to Reform as a “protest party” and Farage as “messianic” in an interview with the Daily Mail in March.
In the same interview, Lowe, who had been suggested as a replacement leader by Elon Musk earlier in the year, was asked if Farage would make a good prime minister. He responded that it was too early to tell whether Farage could deliver, adding that Farage has “messianic qualities,” but it was unclear if this would translate into wise leadership.
Farage quickly responded in an interview on TalkTV, saying Lowe was “utterly completely wrong” regarding Reform being a protest party.
Two days after the Daily Mail interview, Lowe was suspended from Reform following allegations of bullying and threats made against the party’s chair, Zia Yusuf. These allegations were reported to the police, and Lowe denies them all, accusing Farage of a “malicious witch-hunt.” Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, denied any connection between the suspension and the public allegations.
When questioned by an activist not currently a Reform UK member about why the party didn’t allow a lawyer to conclude an investigation before suspending Lowe, Farage stated that Lowe was damaging the party before elections and called his behavior “disgusting.” He also added that based on his 30 years of experience, Lowe’s actions were among the worst he had witnessed.
Responding to another inquiry about whether the Mail interview was the reason for Lowe’s suspension, Farage stated that was a sideline issue and reiterated his belief that Lowe’s actions were disgraceful.
Following the release of these messages, Lowe declared that Farage “must never become prime minister,” claiming that these communications unequivocally show a lack of integrity among Reform’s leadership.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/21/nigel-farage-suspended-reform-uk-mp-rupert-lowe
