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The former Reform MP Rupert Lowe has accused his ex-colleagues of a “sinister” attempt to use the police to silence him, as he launched a furious attack on Nigel Farage who he said “must never be prime minister”.
Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth who now sits as an independent, made the remarks after the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it would not bring criminal charges over allegations that Lowe made verbal threats in parliament last December.
The CPS cited insufficient evidence and said its legal test for prosecution had not been met.
Lowe said the incident was part of a wider campaign by Farage and his allies to “crush dissent” and “smear innocent staff”, including briefing journalists that he had dementia.
He also accused his ex-colleagues of a “sinister attempt to weaponise the criminal justice system against me – putting not just my political future, but my liberty at risk”.
He said in a statement on X: “If Farage were ever to control the vast power of the British state, I believe he would not hesitate to do to his adversaries what they have tried to do to me. With real power, I fear he would wield that immense responsibility to crush dissent – as he has done time and again over the years.”
Reform UK declined to comment.
In a direct appeal to Reform voters, Lowe said: “For the good of our country, Nigel Farage must never be prime minister. To the millions of decent Reform supporters – you must do what you believe is right. I, personally, could not remain in an organisation led by such men. They do not deserve your support, your time, your energy, your money or your vote.”
Lowe, a former Brexit party MEP, was suspended from Reform this year as internal tensions boiled over. He said the party was “not fit to lead” and his former colleagues were “not fit to be MPs”.
He has vowed to help “advance a political movement that is credible, professional, decent, democratic and honest”.
Malcolm McHaffie, the head of the CPS special crime division, said: “Following a thorough and detailed review of the evidence in relation to an allegation of threats, we have decided that no criminal charges should be brought against a sitting MP. Having considered a number of witness statements, we have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.
“The Crown Prosecution Service’s function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider. Based on the careful consideration of this evidence, we have decided that our legal test for a criminal prosecution has not been met.”
