Mr Lowe denied the claims and said the complaint to police ‘obviously went in just after I asked reasonable questions of Reform’s leadership’.
Reform UK has suspended MP Rupert Lowe and reported him to the police, accusing him of threatening violence towards the party chairman a day after he criticised leader Nigel Farage.
Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday that officers were assessing a complaint of “verbal threats” made on Thursday, regarding an alleged incident in December last year. Mr Lowe, who was elected to represent Great Yarmouth in 2023, lost the party whip following the allegations.
A statement from Reform UK claimed it had received evidence of “serious bullying” in Mr Lowe’s office, alongside “derogatory” remarks about women. Two separate staff members had reportedly made complaints.
The MP was further accused of having “on at least two occasions made threats of physical violence” towards party chairman Zia Yusuf. Mr Yusuf confirmed that the matter was now “with the police”.
Mr Lowe strongly denied the allegations, calling them “vexatious” and suggesting they were politically motivated. “The complaint to police obviously went in just after I asked reasonable questions of Reform’s leadership,” he said.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police stated: “On Thursday 6 March we received an allegation of verbal threats made by a 67-year-old man on Friday 13 December. Officers are carrying out an assessment of the allegations to determine what further action may be required.”
Mr Lowe dismissed the claims as a “malicious attempt to drag my name through the mud” and criticised Reform’s leadership for its handling of the situation. “A complete inability to accept even the most mild constructive criticism without such a malicious reaction is not effective leadership,” he added.
Nigel Farage revealed that a King’s Counsel had been appointed by the party last week to investigate the bullying complaints made by two female staff members working in Mr Lowe’s parliamentary and constituency offices.
The controversy follows an apparent rift within Reform UK, which has five MPs. Tensions became public on Thursday when Mr Lowe told the Daily Mail that the party remained a “protest party led by the Messiah” under Mr Farage’s leadership.
When asked whether Mr Farage had the potential to become prime minister, as some of his supporters claim, Mr Lowe responded: “It’s too early to know whether Nigel will deliver the goods. He can only deliver if he surrounds himself with the right people.”
On Friday, Reform UK alleged that complaints had been made by two female staff members concerning “serious bullying”. The party’s statement also claimed that evidence had been presented of “targeting of female staff who raised concerns” and “remarks including reference to a perceived disability”. It further suggested that allegations had been referred to parliamentary authorities.
“We feel we have a duty of care to all our staff, whether employed directly or indirectly,” said the statement, issued by Mr Yusuf and chief whip Lee Anderson.
“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 co-operate with this investigation.”
Reform UK later confirmed that Mr Lowe had been suspended from the party and stripped of the whip.
More Read
The MP responded by claiming he had been “pushing for progress behind closed doors” within the party for months before speaking out publicly. “The day after, I find a knife in my back over false allegations,” he said.
He asserted that he had fully engaged with the barrister leading the internal investigation and disputed the claims about his treatment of female staff.
“I will be seeking legal advice immediately,” he added. “The independent lawyer (KC), instructed by Reform, has advised me to say the following:
‘The Party was precipitous to state that these allegations had been made without also saying that the Party has commissioned an independent investigation. The investigation has not yet got under way to look at all the evidence and evaluate its veracity.’”
A House of Commons spokesperson commented: “Parliament’s Behaviour Code makes clear the standards of behaviour expected of everyone in Parliament, whether staff, members of the House of Lords, MPs, or visitors. There is zero tolerance for abuse or harassment.
“The Behaviour Code is supported by the Independent Complaints and Grievances Scheme (ICGS).”
