No surprise for Hertford and Stortford Reform UK as warring MPs ‘raise the temperature’ at Westminster

Reform UK supporters in East Herts are confident a row among the party’s five MPs will not damage their Herts County Council election campaign.

The whip has been withdrawn from Rupert Lowe, who won the Great Yarmouth seat at the General Election last July.

He denies allegations of workplace bullying and also separately making threats of physical violence against the party’s chairman, Zia Yusuf.

While an inquiry is carried out, Mr Lowe will sit as an Independent in the House of Commons.

He has suggested he is the victim of “a political assassination because I dared to question Nigel Farage”.

His suspension followed an interview in the Daily Mail in which he said Reform under Nigel Farage’s leadership remained a “protest party led by the Messiah”.

The Indie asked Colin Woodward, liaison officer for Hertford and Stortford Reform UK, if Hertfordshire voters on Thursday May 1 could be confident that the party has the unity and discipline necessary to take power and lead.

He was also asked if there should be a by-election if Mr Lowe was not reinstated and if Mr Farage enjoyed the association’s full confidence.

Mr Woodward said: “I can confirm unity and the will to win is very strong… It is regrettable and right and proper that investigations are carried out, as we would expect of any party.

“It does not entirely surprise me that, with a small number of highly motivated, capable and dynamic people occupying the roles of MP, strong opinions, particularly in a party that believes in free speech, will emerge and, at times, raise the temperature.”

He said the Evening Standard was reporting that Mr Lowe had asked Mr Farage to have dinner with him to heal the rift. The pair appeared together at a Reform rally in Uttlesford on January 31.

Mr Woodward said the association now had 895 members.

“Local support for our Reform candidates does not seem to have wavered and we look forward to a good showing at the May elections and giving residents a real choice from the uniparties,” he said.