The anti-immigration get together led by Nigel Farage stated on Friday it had referred one in all its lawmakers to the police for allegedly threatening a senior colleague, within the largest disaster to hit Britain’s rebel right-wing get together since its success in final 12 months’s common election.
In an announcement, the get together, Reform U.Ok., stated the lawmaker, Rupert Lowe, had been accused of creating “threats of bodily violence” in opposition to Reform’s chairman, Zia Yusuf. The get together additionally stated that it was investigating complaints that Mr. Lowe had bullied feminine workers members, and that it had suspended him.
In an announcement 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 lately made important feedback about Mr. Farage and the get together’s constructions.
In latest months, Reform U.Ok. has surged in opinion polls, overtaking the primary opposition Conservative Get together and shutting in on the governing Labour Get together, which is led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
However prior to now, events led by Mr. Farage have proved vulnerable to inner divisions, and the drama on Friday advised that Reform U.Ok. may very well 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.Ok.’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 12 months’s common 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 know-how billionaire Elon Musk, who this 12 months withdrew his assist from Mr. Farage and said that the Reform U.Ok. 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 latest interview with The Daily Mail, arguing that Reform U.Ok. remained a “protest get together led by the Messiah” underneath 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.Ok. stated it had appointed a senior lawyer to analyze the accusations that Mr. Lowe had bullied two feminine staff in places of work in Parliament and in his constituency.
“Proof was supplied to us of office bullying, the concentrating on of feminine workers who raised considerations, and proof of derogatory and discriminatory remarks made about ladies together with reference to a perceived incapacity,” the assertion stated.
It added, “Along with these allegations of a disturbing sample of conduct, Mr. Lowe has on at the very least two events made threats of bodily violence in opposition to our get together chairman. Accordingly, this matter is with the police.”
In his response on social media Mr. Lowe stated that the “allegations of bodily threats are outrageous and fully unfaithful” and that one “workers member in query solely raised a vexatious grievance as soon as disciplinary proceedings had been initiated in opposition to them for severe wrongdoing.” He additionally stated 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 “a whole lack of ability to simply accept even essentially the most gentle constructive criticism with out such a malicious response isn’t efficient management.”
Reform U.Ok. denied any hyperlink. “The investigation into the very severe allegations was began lengthy earlier than his interview with The Each day Mail,” the get together stated in an announcement.
