The civil war tearing Reform UK apart has intensified after party staff backed Rupert Lowe in his row with Nigel Farage.
The MP was dramatically kicked out of the party and reported to the police last week, just a day after he accused the Reform leader of acting like “the Messiah”.
Party chair Zia Yusuf and its chief whip Lee Anderson said two female employees had accused Lowe of “workplace bullying”.
Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, has strenuously denied the allegations and claimed he is the victim of a “witch hunt” for criticising Farage.
In a further twist this morning, Lowe’s seven-strong parliamentary team issued a statement defending their boss.
They said: “We want to state this unequivocally: Rupert is a good, decent and honest man.
“We have never seen any violent or vicious behaviour from him, ever. Nor have we had concerns, from anyone, about this before last Friday.”
The statement, posted on X, added: “Wider allegations of bullying are entirely untrue. These were only issued after the two individuals in question admitted to separate serious offences and the disciplinary process had started against both of them.
“These are vexatious complaints, sadly submitted to cause as much damage as possible.”
In conclusion, they said: “Rupert is a good MP, a good boss and a good man – he does not deserve what is happening to him.”
In a statement last Friday, Reform UK said: “Evidence was provided to us of workplace bullying, the targeting of female staff who raised concerns, and evidence of derogatory and discriminatory remarks made about women, including reference to a perceived disability.
“We feel we have a duty of care to all our staff, whether employed directly or indirectly. Accordingly, we appointed an independent King’s Counsel to conduct an investigation into the veracity of these complaints. To date, Mr Lowe has yet to cooperate with this investigation.”
In response, Lowe said “allegations of physical threats are outrageous and entirely untrue”, adding he has “never made any derogatory comments about women or those with disabilities”.
The controversy erupted after Lowe had complained about Farage’s leadership of Reform.
He told the Daily Mail that Reform UK remained a “protest party led by the Messiah” under Farage, and said he may leave if the party did not change before the next election.
