Nice Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe is, on paper, every little thing Reform chief Nigel Farage might hope for in a parliamentarian. He’s a profitable businessman (reportedly price £30 million) with a protracted historical past of right-of-Conservative activism. He stood because the Referendum Occasion candidate for the Cotswolds constituency within the 1997 basic election, ending fourth on 6.6 per cent of the vote. Within the 2019 European parliament election, Lowe received a seat for Farage’s Brexit Occasion.
For his providers to anti-Tory politics, Lowe was made Reform’s enterprise and agriculture spokesperson in March 2023 — wherein capability he spoke at social gathering press conferences and toured broadcast studios. Then in 2024, he was chosen because the Reform candidate for the Kingswood by-election — the place he received 10.4 per cent of the vote, the social gathering’s best-ever lead to such contests (to date).
Within the basic election of the identical 12 months, Lowe stood in and received the seat of Nice Yarmouth with 35.3 per cent of the vote. He efficiently squeezed by the center of the Labour and Conservative events, who recorded 31.8 per cent and 24.6 per cent respectively. (That’s regardless of Starmtrooper candidate Keir Cozen’s consummate social media operation).
As such, the previous Southampton FC chairman was no mere “paper candidate” like James McMurdock, who Farage by chance — and doubtlessly regrettably— elected because the Reform MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock. Fairly, the brand new Reform consultant for Nice Yarmouth was the precise mannequin foot-soldier Farage wished marching to parliament alongside him. When Farage spoke of a Reform “bridgehead” throughout the 2024 election marketing campaign, he absolutely did so with Lowe in thoughts.
Docs extra sleep disadvantaged now than after the pandemic, MDU survey finds
Isle of Man poised to go assisted dying laws
However upon coming into parliament, Lowe has established a profile totally of his personal. Right this moment, he’s touted as a future Reform chief by some very influential people — together with, it will seem, himself.
***This content material first appeared in Politics.co.uk’s Politics@Lunch e-newsletter, sign-up without cost and by no means miss our every day briefing.***
To some extent, Lowe’s burgeoning profile is as a result of sheer variety of parliamentary questions he asks of ministers — 958 on the time this article entered your inbox. Because the state opening of parliament on 17 July, that’s a median of over 4 a day. (Browse the Reform Grand Inquisitor’s archive of questions for your self right here.)
However Lowe’s prominence owes somewhat much more to his social media following and constant on-line commentary. The Reform MP’s X posts recurrently — nay at all times — go viral, because of his over 300,000 follower base. In truth, in line with analysis by Cavendish Consulting, Lowe has earned more cash posting on X — as a result of platform’s monetisation technique — than Farage himself, implying a better attain.
For his X conspicuousness, Lowe is indebted to at least one man: tech billionaire, MAGA effectivity tsar and social media baron Elon Musk.
Lowe was on the centre of the row between Reform and Musk in January of this 12 months, after the X proprietor savaged Farage for not having “what it takes” to steer the social gathering. Musk merely couldn’t, in good conscience, endorse Farage on account of his long-held opposition to far-right activist Tommy Robinson. The blazing row unsurprisingly dampened hypothesis that Musk would make a $100 million (£80.5m) donation to Reform.
On the time, Musk responded to an X put up asking if Lowe ought to be made social gathering chief with the next assertion: “I’ve not met Rupert Lowe, however his statements on-line that I’ve learn to date make loads of sense”.
The Norfolk MP, flattered, nonetheless rowed in behind his chief. He posted to X (the place else?): “Nigel is chief of Reform. He made Brexit occur, and for that I’ll at all times be grateful.
“I stay up for working with Nigel and all the group to proceed to carry this incompetent Labour Occasion to account, democratise our personal social gathering, win the following election and kind a Reform authorities.”
He agreed with Farage that Robinson was “not proper for Reform” and thanked Musk for his “type feedback”.
However Lowe’s intensifying engagement with the On-line Proper since January would recommend Musk’s endorsement went straight to his head. His commentary on X has turn out to be extra relentless; his posts make better use of capitalisation, they comprise extra main questions. In a viral missive yesterday (10,000 retweets, 58,000 likes), Lowe declared: “Younger white males have to be wanting on the nation and considering — what have we finished unsuitable?…
“There’s NOTHING unsuitable with being white. There’s NOTHING unsuitable with being male. Don’t let anybody let you know in any other case.”
One other current put up reads: “DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] is a depraved, malicious, viperous most cancers that must be forensically eradicated from all of our lives.”
Lowe can be on the centre of Reform’s deepening dilemma on Ukraine. With Farage floundering, Reform’s enterprise and agriculture spokesperson used his X platform this week to freelance over the problem. A lengthy put up of his begins thusly: “British boots on the bottom in Ukraine — I’ve plenty of questions…”
Maybe extra pertinently, in an interview with the Solar‘s By no means Thoughts the Ballots YouTube present on 12 February, Lowe appeared to defend Tommy Robinson, saying he deserves “to be given the credit score for the issues he’s finished proper”.
Lowe insisted: “I say he’s not proper for Reform, he doesn’t wish to be proper for Reform, however he doesn’t deserve to not be given the credit score for the issues that he’s finished.”
***This content material first appeared in Politics.co.uk’s Politics@Lunch e-newsletter, sign-up without cost and by no means miss our every day briefing.***
Since mid-February, Lowe has retweeted Elon Musk’s X posts a number of instances — however he has not shared Farage’s musings as soon as. His final Farage-endorsing repost, so far as this social media surveyor can set up, was on 12 February. For the web proper, retweets are the medium by which mutually events set up relationships and present solidarity. Lowe has not signalled his help for Farage in weeks.
Lowe’s remarks on Wednesday, delivered in a Every day Mail interview, reinforce such evaluation. Chatting with Andrew Pierce, Lowe mentioned it’s “too early” to inform whether or not his social gathering chief can “ship the products”.
He added: “He can solely ship if he surrounds himself with the precise folks.
“Nigel is a fiercely impartial particular person and is extraordinarily good at what we’ve got finished to date. He has obtained messianic qualities. Will these messianic qualities distil into sage management? I don’t know.”
Reflecting on the challenges Reform UK faces, Lowe went on: “We have now to alter from being a protest social gathering led by the Messiah into being a correctly structured social gathering with a frontbench, which we don’t have. We have now to begin behaving as if we’re main and never merely protesting.”
This morning, Farage responded to Lowe’s criticism by way of the Telegraph. He instructed the paper: “It’s tough to have a entrance bench with solely 5 MPs, isn’t it? And he’s one in all them.”
Pressed on his colleague’s remarks about his delegating expertise, he mentioned: “Delegate? I’ve delegated every little thing.”
He added: “If we had 30 MPs, we’d have a entrance bench, however with 5, we will’t.”
Nor are Lowe’s feedback in his Mail sit-down the primary indication of his ambition. In a podcast interview with The Spectator Australia final month, the Reform MP declared he’s “positively” keen to turn out to be prime minister.
Lowe mentioned: “Would I do it if I needed to? Properly, look, I like the nation, and I if I needed to do it, I believe I might positively do it. However I imply, we’ve obtained Nigel Farage, who’s our chief, and on the finish of the day, we’re now main the polls. He’s favorite to be prime minister.
“I’m nonetheless fairly lengthy odds, however who is aware of? I imply, if circumstances demanded it, would I take pleasure in doing a little bit of quango-bashing? You wager I might.”
***This content material first appeared in Politics.co.uk’s Politics@Lunch e-newsletter, sign-up without cost and by no means miss our every day briefing.***
Lowe’s ambition, stoked by Musk and his legions of On-line Proper supporters, has emerged as a significant issue for Farage. The Reform MP for Nice Yarmouth has turn out to be hostage to X’s incentives and algorithms — which reward scathing, snappish takes.
In a bit on Farage’s Ukraine difficulties this week, I famous: “Proper-of-Conservative events, nevertheless small, have tended to schism into factional battle eventually.”
On this vein, I recall a session of PMQs in 2015, when then-prime minister David Cameron quipped of UKIP MP Douglas Carswell, who had defected to Farage’s social gathering from the Conservatives: “He has made some historical past as a result of as a celebration of 1, he has managed to have a backbench insurrection, which is one thing to be admired.”
Carswell and Farage have been by no means the best of bedfellows, regardless of an obvious ideological affinity. Their battles echo the tense relationship that’s growing between Farage and Lowe.
New YouGov polling, printed yesterday, revealed the variety of Britons with a beneficial view of Farage has dropped from 30 per cent in mid-February to 26 per cent. That is versus two-thirds of the general public (65 per cent) seeing Farage in a unfavourable gentle, up from 60 per cent.
As Reform struggles to set out its overseas coverage stall, Farage’s insurgency dangers being snuffed out by factionalism and self-inflicted errors.
Lunchtime briefing
Starmer setting ‘harmful course’ with cuts to UK support funds, says senior Labour MP
Lunchtime soundbite
‘The combating is happening, and it’s an enormous mistake to suppose, nicely, all we’ve obtained to do is anticipate a deal.
‘We’ve obtained to make it possible for if they’re combating on, they’re within the strongest place.’
— Prime minister Keir Starmer says it will be a “large mistake” to suppose Ukraine now not wants army help even when a peace deal is inevitable.
Now do that…
‘How large is the welfare funds and the place would possibly cuts fall?’
From BBC Information’ Ben Chu.
‘Macron: France should face ‘Russian risk’ with or with out US’
Through Politico.
‘Warning to Whitehall as departments requested to determine 20% lowest precedence spending areas’
Departments have been requested to determine the 20% of spending which is lowest precedence, and a few have been requested to seek out as a lot as 40%, ITV Information’ Anushka Asthana stories
On at the present time in 2023:
New laws will deal with ‘staggering’ variety of small boats crossings, minister says
