Trevor Phillips didn’t hold back this morning. Speaking on Sky News, he compared Reform UK’s handling of an internal bust-up to something out of Putin’s playbook.
The drama began when Reform UK suspended MP Rupert Lowe and referred him to the police. The party accused him of making threats against chairman Zia Yusuf and bullying two female employees. Lowe hit back, calling it a “witch hunt” and suggesting his real crime was criticising Nigel Farage just a day earlier.
Reform has now brought in a KC to conduct an independent inquiry. But for a party that prides itself on free speech, the optics aren’t great.
Phillips Grills Tice on Free Speech Hypocrisy
Phillips put the question straight to Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice: “Your party has made a big deal of being defenders of free speech. This all feels a bit Putinesque, doesn’t it?”
Tice bristled. “Far from it,” he said. “And that’s completely inappropriate.”
He claimed the party had faced “difficulties and challenges” with Lowe for some time and that Yusuf had made “difficult decisions.”
Tice also pointed to a past confrontation between Lowe and minister Mike Kane in December, calling it a sign of “ongoing challenges.”
Farage vs Lowe: The War of Words
Both Lowe and Farage took their grievances to the Sunday Telegraph, each telling their side of the story.
Farage accused Lowe of “outbursts” and “inappropriate behaviour” that had damaged party unity. “We did our best to keep a lid on things, but in the end, containment strategies invariably fail,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Lowe fired back, saying he wouldn’t tolerate “falsehoods” and was already in talks with his legal team.
“Is it a surprise these allegations were made public the day after I criticised Nigel Farage?” he asked. “It’s a witch hunt, plain for all to see.”
He even invited Farage to dinner “any time, any place” to settle the matter. Whether Farage takes him up on the offer remains to be seen.
One thing’s for sure—Reform UK’s internal chaos isn’t going away anytime soon.
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