The Reform UK civil war descended further this morning as Richard Tice refused to confirm whether Rupert Lowe would be welcomed back into the party if exonerated. The MP for Great Yarmouth had the whip removed on Friday, meaning he will sit as an independent after he was reported to the police over claims of alleged threats of physical violence towards the party’s chairman.
The party further claimed that two allegations of bullying had been made against the former Southampton FC Chairman by female employees. Mr Lowe has denied any wrongdoing and claims that the timing of the allegations, which came 24 hours after he seemingly criticised leader Nigel Farage, is “suspicious”. When asked if the door remains open to a return for Lowe, Mr Tice said: “You have to be able to work with people. You have to be a team player. »
Interviewer Camilla Tominey responded: It’s a simple question, and I know you’re good at answering questions. Mr. Tice. If he’s exonerated, is he welcome back?”
Mr Tice refused to be drawn on the matter: « The whip has been withdrawn, and we want team players that will unite.
“The whip has been withdrawn, and that should be the assumption. We’re driving forwards. We’re not holding back.
« We’ve got a job to do. We’ve got hundreds of seats to win in May. We’re not going to be distracted by this noise. And you know what? I don’t think the British people will be either. »
Last night, party leader Nigel Farage broke his silence on the matter, claiming that it threatened to derail his party’s plans to make huge gains in May’s local and Mayoral elections.
He wrote in the Telegraph: “Now, thanks to one of our MPs, Rupert Lowe, unloading a barrage of criticisms against our operations and its main actors, that sense of unity has been dented.
“The truth is that Mr Lowe has made some excellent interventions over the past eight months and helped to stimulate public debate on a range of pressing issues facing the country.
“What many people may not have realised, however, is that in that time he has also managed to fall out with all his parliamentary colleagues in one way or another. We did our best to keep a lid on things but, in the end, containment strategies invariably fail.”
Mr Lowe seemingly questioned Mr Farage’s leadership on Thursday, telling the Daily Mail: “I’m not going to be by Nigel’s side at the next election unless we have a proper plan to change the way we govern from top to bottom.”
The now-independent MP had once been touted as a future leader of the party, drawing praise from Elon Musk in the wake of his public criticisms of Mr Farage’s suitability to lead the party he formed.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: « On Thursday 6 March we received an allegation of verbal threats made by a 67-year-old man on Friday 13 December 2024.
« Officers are carrying out an assessment of the allegations to determine what further action may be required. »
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