MP's betrayal can galvanise Reform to return stronger

NIGEL Farage and his Reform UK party have endured a horrible week, amid tumultuous coverage of his feud with fellow MP Rupert Lowe — a firm favourite with grassroots members.

- Patrick O'Flynn

Plenty of pundits have predicted the implosion of Reform, given its inability to keep a group of just five MPs intact.

Certainly, lots of members have gone on social media to express indignation at the withdrawal of the party whip from Lowe, who had given an interview questioning whether the “messianic” Farage could provide “sage leadership” for the nation. And yet, no implosion has occurred. Opinion polls taken since the start of the infighting, just over a week ago, show levels of support for Reform holding steady in the mid-20s, percentage-wise.

That puts the party level with Labour and ahead of the Tories. Reform’s projected vote share is currently running around 11 points higher than the 14% it achieved at last year’s general election. If that counts as an implosion, then all the other party leaders would give their eyeteeth for one of their own.

Farage and his inner circle nonetheless need to appreciate that while this spat has not yet knocked Reform out of the race to win the next general election, further such feuding might well do. There were two sources of tension with Lowe: personal and political. And both aspects raise serious questions that need to be addressed.