Reform UK feud escalates as Farage and Lowe make public attacks on each other

The fierce clash at the top of Reform UK has escalated as Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe launched fresh attacks on each other and the party denied that its suspension of Lowe was politically motivated.

- Eleni Courea

Richard Tice, Reform's deputy chair, was dispatched to the media studios yesterday to try and calm the row that has engulfed the party less than two months before a pivotal set of local elections.

Tice said there was no connection between Lowe's suspension on Friday and his criticism of Farage the day before. Asked whether he expected people to believe one had not led to the other, Tice said: "I think people will believe that because there is absolutely no truth in that suggestion."

He told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: "The sad reality is Rupert has been doing some great work but there have been too many instances where actually we've seen a different character."

On Sky News, Tice said the party's suspension of Lowe was "not at all" Putinesque.

Lowe was stripped of the whip on Friday after the party issued an extraordinary statement making a string of allegations against him.

The statement said Lowe faced bullying allegations from two women who had worked for him, with complaints made to parliamentary authorities, and that he had separately verbally threatened Reform's chair, Zia Yusuf, with violence, which had been reported to the police.

The party said it had appointed an independent KC to investigate the bullying claims. Lowe has vehemently denied the allegations.

Lowe had given an interview to the Daily Mail where he complained that under Farage, Reform remained a "protest party led by the Messiah". He also said it was "too early to know whether Nigel will deliver the goods" and become prime minister.