Farage has spelt out in some detail that Lowe won’t be let back in Reform:
“Basically, what is happening here is Rupert Lowe knows there’s no way back. And he said to Lee Anderson our whip and MP: ‘I will slit the throat of the Reform Party.’ He’s out to cause maximum destruction and damage. Not content with now being under investigation by the Metropolitan Police, not content with the fact that the independent KC has already publicly rebuked him for not respecting due process and for openly lying about his conversation with the KC, he’s now out to pretend that he’s the only person who wants to deal with the Pakistani rape gangs.”
That’s in reference to Lowe claiming there “was a belief from senior Reform figures that my language on the rape gangs was too strong, too robust, too tough” because the MP called for the families of rape gang members to be deported. Farage goes on to defend his own record:
“My record on this goes back to 2013. I in fact did an exclusive with The Telegraph at the time in 2014 about a couple in Rotherham who had been taken off the foster list for being Ukip members at the same time as all these things were going on. I’ve campaigned strongly on this for years and it’s a completely false assertion. The idea you can deport whole communities who have British passports is just not possible under British law and never was. Furthermore, his speech in Essex that he talks about, what I stopped him from using was the word ‘repatriation’. I told him not to use the word ‘repatriation’ as well as ‘mass deportations’, because I thought it was a very grave, dark and dangerous use of language. This is all an attempt not just to damage Reform, but to get Elon Musk thinking that he’s the good guy.”
Lowe insists he won’t stand down hasn’t ruled out going to the Tories or starting something of his own now. Kemi’s outfit for their part have so far only said they are a “broad church” when asked if they would accept him. The Reform door is closed and locked…
UPDATE: Lowe says in response that Reform members should decide if he should be let back in: “Hold a vote to see if they approve of this malicious witch hunt launched by Reform’s leadership. Farage claims Reform is a democratic party. I say prove it.”
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”