So, I find myself torn. On the one hand I’ve always been a great fan of Nigel Farage. He credits me with giving him his first radio spot when I bought Talk Radio around the year 2,000 when he was a prophet wandering around in the wilderness.
Uniquely, my judgment turned out to be spot on and he has gone on to be the most successful politician of his age.
Rupert Lowe has been exited from Reform UK
Getty
Single-handed, he bought us Brexit and followed that by forming a start-up party which today is neck and neck with Labour in the polls and leaving the Tories trailing in his wake. You know all these stories but sometimes people’s achievements get lost over time.
On the other hand, and as with most people, I like Rupert Lowe. He’s had a sparkling life. Married with four kids, a career in the City, then setting out in the retirement business before moving on to Southampton football club where he took them to a new stadium and the most successful period in their history.
Today he’s known for something entirely different- falling out with Farage in a spectacular way. He will continue to be MP for Great Yarmouth but it will no longer be for Reform. It’s that bad.
Where I have questions for the Reform leadership is the allegation they made in their statement last Friday that Lowe had been reported to the Parliamentary authorities for treating his staff badly. That is quite untrue.
I can say that with absolute certainty thanks to an extraordinary statement which has been issued and signed off on X by Lowe’s seven-strong Parliamentary team.
I won’t quote it all but Lowe comes out as a great boss who is much loved by his staff. I’ve worked for Rupert Murdoch for decades but in truth neither I, nor his senior colleagues, could ever have written in praise the way Lowe’s people did.
The statement reads; "Rupert has had no involvement in, or the drafting of this letter. We want to state this unequivocally; Rupert is a good, decent and honest man.
‘’We have never seen any violent or vicious behaviour from him, ever. Nor have we ever heard any concerns from anyone about this before last Friday. It has never been discussed with any of us.
‘’He is courteous and unfailingly polite to us. Wider allegations of ‘bullying’ are untrue. They were only issued after the two individuals in question admitted to separate serious offences and the disciplinary process had started against both of them’’
The statement went on to say they were a team and everybody is treated fairly.
You couldn’t say fairer than that. So that’s one allegation which is clearly untrue and I suspect likely to cost Reform quite a lot of money in the libel courts as Lowe has said he will be going down the legal route.
That leaves the row between Reform chairman Zia Yusuf and Lowe where Yusuf claims he was threatened and has gone to the police over the matter.
Politics is an argumentative business. Debate is the entire point. I think it was unwise Yusuf went to the police and I urge him to withdraw the complaint. In any event I expect the police not to proceed.
It’s very much in Reform’s political interests that this row goes away. There has to be a fall guy and and one way to do that is for Yusuf to stand aside. I doubt if there would be any tears shed with his departure but there would be if Reform were to go backwards in the polls having made such rapid strides since the General Election.
