The anti-immigration get together led by Nigel Farage mentioned on Friday it had referred certainly one of its lawmakers to the police for allegedly threatening a senior colleague, within the greatest disaster to hit Britain’s rebel right-wing get together since its success in final yr’s basic election.
In a press release, the get together, Reform U.Okay., mentioned the lawmaker, Rupert Lowe, had been accused of creating “threats of bodily violence” towards Reform’s chairman, Zia Yusuf. The get together additionally mentioned that it was investigating complaints that Mr. Lowe had bullied feminine workers members, and that it had suspended him.
In a press release posted on social media on Friday, Mr. Lowe, 67, denied the allegations, including that it was “no shock” that “vexatious” claims had been lodged after he just lately made essential feedback about Mr. Farage and the get together’s buildings.
In current months, Reform U.Okay. has surged in opinion polls, overtaking the principle opposition Conservative Occasion and shutting in on the governing Labour Occasion, which is led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
However up to now, events led by Mr. Farage have proved vulnerable to inner divisions, and the drama on Friday advised that Reform U.Okay. might be following the identical sample.
The brand new, explosive developments appeared to activate the rising rigidity between Mr. Lowe, a businessman and the previous chairman of Southampton F.C. soccer membership, and Mr. Farage, Reform U.Okay.’s charismatic however divisive chief.
Mr. Farage had campaigned for Brexit and helped the get together to win 14 p.c of the vote in final yr’s basic election — propelling it to the forefront of the nation’s politics.
Mr. Lowe, who represents Nice Yarmouth on the jap coast of England, has been praised by the expertise billionaire Elon Musk, who this yr withdrew his help from Mr. Farage and said that the Reform U.Okay. chief “doesn’t have what it takes.”
Mr. Musk didn’t clarify his reasoning. But it surely gave the impression to be linked to Mr. Farage’s refusal to endorse the billionaire’s demand {that a} far-right agitator, Tommy Robinson, be launched from jail. Mr. Farage has distanced himself from Mr. Robinson, whose actual identify is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and who has a number of felony convictions and a historical past of Islamophobic statements.
Mr. Lowe immediately criticized Mr. Farage in a current interview with The Every day Mail, arguing that Reform U.Okay. remained a “protest get together led by the Messiah” beneath its chief.
Mr. Farage, requested in a TV interview why he thought Mr. Lowe had made his feedback, replied: “Maybe he desires to be prime minister. Most individuals in politics do.”
In its assertion, Reform U.Okay. mentioned it had appointed a senior lawyer to research the accusations that Mr. Lowe had bullied two feminine workers in workplaces in Parliament and in his constituency.
“Proof was supplied to us of office bullying, the focusing on of feminine workers who raised considerations, and proof of derogatory and discriminatory remarks made about girls together with reference to a perceived incapacity,” the assertion mentioned.
It added, “Along with these allegations of a disturbing sample of habits, Mr. Lowe has on a minimum of two events made threats of bodily violence towards our get together chairman. Accordingly, this matter is with the police.”
In his response on social media Mr. Lowe mentioned that the “allegations of bodily threats are outrageous and completely unfaithful” and that one “workers member in query solely raised a vexatious grievance as soon as disciplinary proceedings had been initiated towards them for critical wrongdoing.” He additionally mentioned that “the opposite particular person talked about dropped her attraction.”
Mr. Lowe advised that the get together’s motion was an unwarranted response to his criticism of Mr. Farage and that “an entire lack of ability to simply accept even probably the most gentle constructive criticism with out such a malicious response just isn’t efficient management.”
Reform U.Okay. denied any hyperlink. “The investigation into the very critical allegations was began lengthy earlier than his interview with The Every day Mail,” the get together mentioned in a press release.
