Reform UK descended into civil war today as Nigel Farage engaged in a public slanging match with one of his party’s own MPs.
He insisted Reform is not just a ‘protest party’ and is making ‘gigantic strides’ as he furiously hit back at claims made by Rupert Lowe.
Mr Farage swiped that Mr Lowe, who has been touted as the next Reform leader, wouldn’t have had a ‘cat’s chance in hell’ of becoming an MP without him.
The outburst came after Mr Farage was riled by Mr Lowe breaking ranks to question his leadership abilities in an interview with the Daily Mail.
The Great Yarmouth MP, a former chairman of Southampton Football Club, accused Mr Farage of acting like a ‘messiah’ and bemoaned his tight grip on the party.
He even floated the possibility of replacing Mr Farage as Reform leader himself and going on to become prime minister.
There have been tensions between the pair since Elon Musk – who has flirted with donating to Reform – told Mr Farage he ‘doesn’t have what it takes’ as leader.
The billionaire tech mogul, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, also appeared to endorse Mr Lowe as a replacement leader in social media comments in January.
Reform UK descended into civil war as Nigel Farage engaged in a public slanging match with one of his party’s own MPs
Mr Farage insisted Reform is not just a ‘protest party’ and is making ‘gigantic strides’ as he furiously hit back at claims made by Rupert Lowe
Mr Lowe claimed Reform needed to ‘change from being a protest party led by the messiah into being a properly structured party with a frontbench’.
But, speaking to TalkTV this afternoon, Mr Farage delivered a withering slapdown of his fellow Reform MP’s remarks.
‘We are not a protest party in any way at all – that is utterly wrong, utterly, completely wrong,’ the Reform leader said.
‘We are an entirely positive party. Come to any Reform event and the positivity, the energy…
‘If I’ve got a following out there, that’s a good thing. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have won any seats in Parliament at all on 4 July last year.’
Asked if this included Mr Lowe’s constituency of Great Yarmouth – which was one of five seats won by Reform at last year’s general election – he added: ‘There wouldn’t have been a cat’s chance in hell.’
Mr Farage continued: ‘We’re not a protest party and he’s on the front bench, so what’s he talking about? With only five people you can’t really have a shadow cabinet can you.
‘We’ve got a lot of development to do but we’re absolutely not a protest party.’
Asked why Mr Lowe had gone public with his remarks, Mr Farage replied: ‘Perhaps he wants to be prime minister?
‘Most people in politics do – half the House of Commons think they should be prime minister. His comments are wrong, we are making gigantic strides.’
Pressed on whether he had told Mr Lowe to ‘wind his neck in’, the Reform leader added: ‘There’s no point telling him what to do or what not to do. The fact is we are making huge strides.’
There have been tensions between the Reform politicians since Elon Musk – who has flirted with donating to Reform – told Mr Farage he ‘doesn’t have what it takes’ as leader
Mr Musk, who met with Mr Farage in Florida in December, appeared to endorse Mr Lowe as a replacement Reform leader in social media comments in January
In his Mail interview, Mr Lowe said it was ‘absolutely staggering’ that he was ‘barely six months into being an MP and I’m in the betting to be the next prime minister’.
But asked if Mr Farage would make a good prime minister, Mr Lowe added: ‘It’s too early to know whether Nigel will deliver the goods.
‘He can only deliver if he surrounds himself with the right people. Nigel is a fiercely independent individual and is extremely good at what we have done so far.
‘He has got messianic qualities. Will those messianic qualities distil into sage leadership? I don’t know.’
He further questioned Mr Farage’s leadership of Reform, adding: ‘We have to start behaving as if we are leading and not merely protesting.
‘Nigel is a messianic figure who is at the core of everything but he has to learn to delegate, as not everything can go through one person.
‘So we have to start developing policy which is going to change the way we govern.
‘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.
‘We can’t raise the hopes of people who are so frustrated with the way we are governed and then flunk it.’
Tory MP Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: ‘This internecine warfare at the top of Reform just goes to show that their MPs are more concerned with their own egos, and advancing their personal ambitions, rather than standing up for the British people.
‘With one of Farage’s most senior MPs doubting his leadership abilities and admitting that Reform is a protest party with no plan, it is clear that Reform are not serious, and will always put self-interest above our national interest.
‘The British public deserve solutions, not just empty slogans.
‘Only the Conservatives, under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership, can be trusted to be a real opposition, and real alternative, to this dreadful Labour government.’
