Editing Rupert Lowe (section)

===Bullying allegations and suspension from Reform UK===

On 7 March 2025 it was announced that Lowe had been reported to the police by Reform UK after its chairman, the businessman [[Zia Yusuf]], alleged Lowe made verbal threats against him three months and a month prior, in December 2024 and in February 2025 respectively,<ref>{{cite news |work=[[BBC News Online|BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gm5dr95jqo |title=Police investigate MP Rupert Lowe over alleged threats |access-date=14 March 2025 |date=11 March 2025 |first=Sam |last=Francis |url-status=live |archive-date=14 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250314105512/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gm5dr95jqo}}</ref> and that he was also under investigation by Reform UK for claims of bullying within his parliamentary office.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="loweskynews">{{cite news |title=Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe reported to police over alleged threats against party chair |url=https://news.sky.com/story/reform-uk-mp-rupert-lowe-reported-to-police-over-alleged-threats-to-party-chair-13323564 |first=Tim |last=Baker |date=7 March 2025 |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=Sky News |language=en}}</ref> Reform UK said that Lowe had also refused to cooperate with the investigation, while Lowe himself said that Reform UK's statement was published before an investigation had even begun.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Henry |title=Reform UK investigating Rupert Lowe after complaints of 'serious bullying' by female employees |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/reform-uk-investigating-rupert-lowe-after-complaints-of-serious-bullying/ |date=7 March 2025 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=LBC |language=en |archive-date=7 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307195756/https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/reform-uk-investigating-rupert-lowe-after-complaints-of-serious-bullying/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="loweskynews" /> Lowe subsequently had the whip suspended by Party Whip [[Lee Anderson (British politician)|Lee Anderson]] who said 'to remove the whip was a deeply painful thing to do.'<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heren |first=Kit |title=Reform UK civil war as party suspends Rupert Lowe after complaints of 'serious bullying' by female employees |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/reform-suspends-rupert-lowe-mp/ |date=7 March 2025 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=[[LBC]] |language=en |archive-date=7 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307190431/https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/reform-suspends-rupert-lowe-mp/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/03/08/lee-anderson-reform-cannot-go-on-with-rupert-lowe/|title=Lee Anderson: Reform UK cannot go on with Rupert Lowe as MP|first=Ethan|last=Croft|date=8 March 2025|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref>

Lowe denied all allegations against him and called them [[Vexatious litigation|vexatious]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hazell |first=Will |title=Inside Reform's civil war: Farage's rivals are circling - and gunning for defections|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/inside-reforms-civil-war-farage-activists-defect-3583719 |date=14 March 2025 |website=[[The i Paper]] |language=en}}</ref> He also alleged that there were malicious briefings against him by "senior Reform figures" to journalists to claim he had dementia<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/politics/uk-politics/nigel-farage-reform-uk-rupert-lowe/|title=Nigel Farage warns 'no way back' for Rupert Lowe in Reform UK amid bullying investigation|date=12 March 2025|website=LBC}}</ref> and that both his removal from Reform UK and the investigation into his alleged conduct were in response to his criticisms of Farage as leader of the party.<ref name = "Independent">{{cite news| title=The Rupert Lowe fracas shows why Reform may not survive  |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/11/the-rupert-lowe-fracas-shows-reform-wont-survive |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=11 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/03/11/farage-rupert-lowe-row-huge-distraction-i-could-do-without/|title=Musk 'considers backing Rupert Lowe if he forms new party after Reform row'|first=Dominic|last=Penna|date=11 March 2025|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/politics/uk-politics/rupert-lowe-speaks-out-police-reform-farage/|title='All I did was stand up to Farage': Suspended Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe breaks silence as police launch probe|date=11 March 2025|website=LBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80yd11nm73o|title=Nigel Farage hits back at Reform UK MP's leadership criticism|date=6 March 2025|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2025-03-14 |title=Farage ally hints Reform leader could axe party chair in row with Rupert Lowe |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-zia-yusuf-reform-b2715088.html |access-date=2025-03-15 |work=The Independent}}</ref> In a statement to the media, Lowe said he had been continually "frozen out of meetings, policy discussions, press conferences and more" for pushing for internal party reform, and accused Farage of putting "a knife in [Lowe's] back over false allegations".<ref>{{cite news |last=Walker |first=Peter|title=Divided Reform UK reports own MP to police amid bullying claims |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/07/reform-uk-chaos-claims-bullying-rupert-lowe |date=8 March 2025 |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en}}</ref>

Lowe said that he had disagreed with Farage over the former's endorsement of mass [[deportations]] and support for forcibly removing over a million people from the UK if required.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/09/nigel-farage-rupert-lowe-reform-uk-feud-escalates|last=Courea|first=Eleni|work=The Guardian|date=9 March 2025|accessdate=9 March 2025|title=Reform feud escalates as Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe trade public barbs}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/reform-uk-reform-conservative-echr-british-b2711651.html|last=Besley|first=John|work=[[The Independent]]|date=9 March 2025|access-date=9 March 2025|language=en|title=Lowe says he was 'warned' by Reform UK leadership over position on deportations}}</ref> Staff members for Lowe have dismissed the bullying allegations as "nonsense",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/the-reform-row-what-has-happened-and-what-has-been-said-13325620|last=Rogers|first=Alexandra|work=[[Sky News]]|date=10 March 2025|language=en|title=The Reform row: What has happened and what has been said?|access-date=11 March 2025|archive-date=11 March 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250311034514/https://news.sky.com/story/the-reform-row-what-has-happened-and-what-has-been-said-13325620|url-status=live}}</ref> and the alleged bullying by Lowe was later revealed not to involve him. Lowe's entire parliamentary team wrote a public letter in support of him, denying the allegations and stating they have never been contacted as part of any parliamentary investigation.<ref name="Independent" /> The former [[Leader of Reform UK#Leadership|deputy leader of Reform UK]] [[Ben Habib]] called Lowe's suspension "an injustice". Habib accused Farage and Yusuf of "trumping up complaints against" Lowe to oust him after [[Elon Musk]] suggested Lowe should become Leader of Reform UK instead of Farage. Reform's official X account stopped retweeting Lowe's posts after Musk's comments.<ref name="auto" /> Habib called for both men's resignations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Habib |first=Ben |date=2025-03-08 |title=If anyone deserves to be removed from Reform, it's Zia Yusuf |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/08/if-anyone-deserves-to-be-removed-from-reform-its-zia-yusuf/ |access-date=2025-03-15 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Habib |first=Ben |date=2025-03-13 |title=Farage must step aside and let Rupert Lowe lead Reform |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/13/farage-must-step-aside-and-let-rupert-lowe-lead-reform/ |access-date=2025-03-15 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

Musk has reportedly considered backing Lowe if he forms a new party after the row,<ref name="auto" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/d7cbb26a-57b8-4fd5-ac5b-00de25d53a0e|title=Musk expresses support for rival to Reform UK as feud in Farage's party intensifies|first=Anna|last=Gross|work=Financial Times |date=10 March 2025}}</ref> while multiple senior Conservative figures expressed an interest in Lowe defecting to the Conservative Party instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/inside-reform-rupert-lowe-civil-war|title='The Tories Can Have Him': Inside Reform's Rupert Lowe Crisis|date=14 March 2025|website=Politics Home}}</ref> On 20 March 2025 [[BBC News]] reported on a series of leaked [[WhatsApp]] messages between Farage and an unnamed source in which Farage spoke of Lowe as "contemptible" and his anger with Lowe's ''Daily Mail'' interview. In the messages, Farage stated that the inquiry into Lowe's alleged behaviour was the right thing to do because the "reputation of the party must be protected", and that he had not allowed a lawyer to complete the investigation before suspending Lowe because he had been "damaging the party just before elections". In response, Lowe told the BBC that the leaked messages proved that the motivation behind his removal was his criticism of Reform UK's party structure, policy and communication and criticism of Farage himself. Lowe concluded by saying Farage "must never be [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]". Farage himself did not comment on the leaks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0qgnvqmm5o|title=Reform UK row: Leaked messages reveal Farage fury with Lowe|first1=Chris|last1=Mason|first2=Laura|last2=Kuenssberg|work=BBC News|date=20 March 2025}}</ref>

==== Dismissal of the legal proceedings against Lowe ====
On 14 May 2025 the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] (CPS) announced that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction related to allegations of threats towards Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf, after a thorough review of the evidence, including multiple witness statements.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-14 |title=Ex-Reform MP Lowe will not face charges over alleged threats |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnv138z2gl9o |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Penna |first=Dominic |date=2025-05-14 |title=Rupert Lowe brands Farage ‘a coward and a viper’ after Reform allegations dropped |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/14/rupert-lowe-not-prosecuted-reform-bullying-allegations/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>