These days, it’s rare to find an MP who is consistent in his politics. So Mr S was delighted to discover on a trip to the archives that there is an exception to this usual rule. Rupert Lowe has served as the no-nonsense Honourable Member for Great Yarmouth since July 2024. Prior to his election as a Reform MP last year, Lowe was an MEP for the brief-lived Brexit party in 2019, which topped the European elections and toppled Theresa May.
But, two decades before that, Farage and Lowe were candidates for rival Eurosceptic parties at the 1997 election: the former for Ukip, the latter for Jimmy Goldsmith’s Referendum party. Steerpike has done some digging and found that some old leaflets of Lowe exist in the Special Collections of Bristol University. They show the Old Radleian has barely changed his politics in 28 years, with images of the-then-39 year old appearing alongside a plea for patriotism and democracy.
‘Put country before party at this election,’ urged Lowe in his address. As a candidate for The Cotswolds, he described himself as someone who ‘has travelled widely in Europe’ with ‘eighteen years’ in the City plus experience in farming, cable manufacturing and contracting. ‘I want a Europe of free trade, less bureaucracy and directly accountable politicians,’ he told voters. Sadly, his plea fell on deaf ears as he only finished fourth with 3,393 votes – enough to keep his deposit.
Luckily for fans, Lowe was undeterred and made it into parliament nearly three decades later.
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