Nigel Farage accused the suspended Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe of “damaging the party”, calling his behaviour “disgusting” in leaked messages that reveal the antipathy between the two rightwing politicians.
Farage had sent the private WhatsApp messages to someone who had worked for Lowe in recent years. His criticism came after Lowe called Reform a “protest party” and Farage “messianic” in an interview with the Daily Mail in March.
In the interview, Lowe – who had been touted as a replacement leader by Elon Musk earlier this year – was asked if Farage would make a good prime minister. He told the Mail: “It’s too early to know whether Nigel will deliver the goods. He can only deliver if he surrounds himself with the right people.
“Nigel is a fiercely independent individual and is extremely good at what we have done so far. He has got messianic qualities. Will those messianic qualities distill into sage leadership? I don’t know.”
Farage swiftly responded, saying in an interview on TalkTV Lowe was “utterly completely wrong” about Reform being a protest party.
Two days after the Mail interview Lowe was suspended from Reform after the party made a string of allegations against him, including bullying allegations from two women who had worked for him and claims that he had verbally threatened Reform’s chair Zia Yusuf with violence, which was reported to the police.
The suspended MP strongly denies all the allegations and has accused Farage of a “malicious witch-hunt”. Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, has said there was “absolutely no truth” in claims that there was a link between the party’s decision to suspend Lowe and the allegations being made public.
When Farage was asked by an activist, who is not currently a Reform UK member, why the party did not allow a lawyer to complete an investigation before Lowe was suspended, Farage said: “Because he is damaging the party just before elections. Disgusting.
“But beyond that he is contemptible. Thousands of people working hard for May 1st. The KC inquiry was the right thing to do no question. Reputation of the party must be protected.”
Another staff member had asked Farage if he had suspended Lowe because of the Mail interview. Farage replied: “No … that’s a side issue. But in 30 years I have never seen worse. Disgusting.”
After the messages were made public, Lowe said Farage “must never become prime minister”.
“These messages unquestionably prove that the Reform leadership has zero integrity,” he added.
