Reform row rumbles on as Rupert Lowe claims he was 'warned' by leadership for being 'outspoken' about deportations

9 March 2025, 07:59 | Updated: 9 March 2025, 08:23

Suspended MP Rupert Lowe says he had been "warned" by leadership figures in Reform UK about being "outspoken on the need for a large number of deportations" - as the row within the party rumbles on.

On Friday, the party suspended the former MP for Great Yarmouth and referred him to police, alleging he made "threats of physical violence" against party chairman Zia Yusuf.

Scotland Yard has said a complaint of "verbal threats" were made about an alleged incident last December was being assessed by officers.

Reform also said it had received evidence of "serious bullying" and "derogatory" remarks made about women in the MP's offices, with two separate staffers said to have made allegations.

Nigel Farage has now spoken after Mr Lowe's whip was removed, and said the party "acted responsibly" in dealing with the matter.

The leader of the party stressed the importance of good behaviour in the party and said the allegations had "dented" the "sense of unity" it had been building.

Now, in his latest social media post, Mr Lowe said: "It has been reported in today's Telegraph that sources in the Reform leadership, 'close to Nigel Farage', are upset with me because I have been outspoken on the need for a large number of deportations. This is not new information to me.

"Just so that everyone is crystal clear - I stand by every single word I have said on the subject.

"If you are here illegally, you should be deported. That has to be the objective. If that results in one million plus deportations being the eventual aim? Then so be it. It may be uncomfortable to some, but there is NO other way.

"Nigel may not agree with that, but it's the right thing to do and it's a perfectly reasonable policy discussion to raise."

Suspended Reform MP Rupert Lowe said on X: "I do not want unvetted, unchecked, unknown young men roaming our streets, harassing women and loitering around schools. I want them deported, as do the vast majority of the British people.

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"If that upsets people, so what? Honestly, who cares? We need to stop worrying about what the woke left think of us. They will NEVER approve. We must stop watering down sincerely held opinions to appease the unappeasable.

"Trust me - the boats will stop overnight if we can successfully send the following message. If you come here illegally, you will be deported. If you are here illegally, you will be deported.

"Of course proper policy needs to be fleshed out around that (offshore processing, transfer agreements, foreign aid withdrawal, visa suspension, ECHR withdrawal, legislation repeal, scrapping the asylum system and so on). I have attempted to explore some of this detail myself publicly, and encouraged Reform to invest in a serious policy machine to present credible plans.

"That did not happen.

"But all else aside, the principle must be abundantly clear - detain, deport. No excuses.

"I have been warned by those at the top of Reform about my position on deportations. As you likely know from reading my extensive output on the subject, I did not listen to a word said.

"We need deportations, and lots of them. I make no apologies for stating that."