Rupert Lowe is consulting legal professionals about taking attainable libel motion towards Reform UK, Sky Information understands.
The Nice Yarmouth MP has accused the occasion of creating “unfaithful and false allegations” about him after he criticised chief Nigel Farage within the media, sparking a bitter public row.
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A day after the 67-year-old questioned whether or not Mr Farage may make it as prime minister, Reform UK introduced on Friday it had referred him to police and suspended him, alleging he made “verbal threats” towards chairman Zia Yousaf.
The Met has launched an investigation into these claims, which Mr Lowe has vehemently denied.
Reform has additionally claimed it has obtained complaints from two feminine staff about severe bullying in Mr Lowe’s constituency workplace.
The now impartial MP has strenuously denied these claims as nicely, saying the allegations don’t relate to him and have been made by workers who themselves confronted disciplinary motion.
Mr Lowe believes he’s the sufferer of a “witch hunt” after talking out towards the occasion’s management in an interview with the Every day Mail that was printed final week, by which he challenged Mr Farage’s “messianic” tendencies.
He has not dominated out joining the Conservatives or another political party, whereas Mr Farage has stated there’s “no manner again” for the suspended MP and accused him of being “out to trigger most injury” to Reform UK.
Lowe suspension was ‘proper judgement’
The feud may deepen nonetheless with Mr Lowe now mulling authorized motion over claims made about him in the course of the ongoing confrontation, it’s understood.
The previous Southampton FC chairman has accused Mr Farage of spreading “outright lies” after he informed GB Information that he “is aware of for a reality” Mr Lowe was knowledgeable of a parliamentary investigation into bullying allegations on 29 Feb and gave an interview with the Mail “shortly after that”.
In accordance with the Mail, the interview was held on 25 February – days earlier than Mr Lowe obtained a letter from Reform’s chief whip Lee Anderson informing him of issues over his conduct.
The letter, seen by Sky Information, was from Reform relatively than parliament and says the parliamentary occasion has decided an impartial investigation is one of the best plan of action.
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Mr Lowe has urged Mr Farage to “apologise, retract and proper the file,” posting on X: “To recommend I used the interview to deflect from any investigation is factually unfaithful. I’ve heard completely nothing from parliament about any of this.”
Mr Lowe additionally denies claims made by Mr Anderson that he has not co-operated with the impartial inquiry into his behaviour.
Final evening, seven members of his staff put their names on an announcement coming to Mr Lowe’s defence, saying he’s a “good, first rate and trustworthy man”, that they’ve by no means witnessed “violent or vicious” behaviour and allegations of bullying are “robustly denied by all of us”.
Sky Information has contacted Reform UK for remark.
The row poses hazard for a celebration that has its sights on coming into authorities on the subsequent election after a meteoric rise within the polls.
In his interview with the Mail, Mr Lowe stated it was “too early to know” if Mr Farage will develop into prime minister and warned Reform stays a “protest occasion led by the Messiah” underneath the Clacton MP.
He additionally claimed that he was “barely six months into being an MP” himself and “within the betting to be the following prime minister”.
Throughout Mr Farage’s on-line falling out with Elon Musk, by which he stated Reform wanted a brand new chief, Mr Lowe drew reward from the Area X billionaire.
In a transfer seen as a touch of a brand new splinter group, one other ousted Reform UK politician, former deputy chief Ben Habib, informed The Every day Telegraph that Mr Lowe was a “good buddy” and he was “continuously in contact with” him.
