Rupert Lowe’s warning shot to Nigel Farage

There is a striking interview in today’s Daily Mail between Andrew Pierce and Rupert Lowe. The Reform MP is known for speaking his mind and he certainly does not hold back. Asked whether he thinks Nigel Farage would make a good prime minister, Lowe praises him as a ‘fiercely independent individual’ but says that ‘it’s too early to know whether Nigel will deliver the goods. He can only deliver if he surrounds himself with the right people.’ Lowe adds: ‘He has got messianic qualities. Will those messianic qualities distil into sage leadership? I don’t know.’ Such remarks about Farage are unlikely to improve the often-strained relationship between the two men.

The Great Yarmouth MP goes on to express his concerns about Reform’s lack of a policy platform. He tells Pierce that ‘We have to start developing policy which is going to change the way we govern. I’m not going to be by Nigel’s side at the next election unless we have a proper plan to change the way we govern from top to bottom.’ This warning shot highlights one of the key tensions within Reform: how much emphasis should it place on policy? 

Even Farage himself would likely admit that he is not a policy wonk: his great skill instead lies in communication. The details of his various party manifestos have often been left to others instead. As Katy Balls and I wrote in last week’s Spectator, there is a serious push underway in Reform to create a credible policy-making body. Lowe and others are supportive of efforts to create the party’s own thinktank, headed by former chief operations officer Jonathan Brown, to sketch out an agenda for Britain in 2029. Lowe’s interview suggests that he does not think that the necessary groundwork is being conducted urgently enough. 

Fair-minded commentators like Patrick O’Flynn, the former Ukip MEP, have argued that Reform’s impressive poll ratings now need to be matched with a credible policy offer too. Richard Tice’s renewable energy announcement last month was widely panned both inside and outside the party. If Reform continues its remarkable progress in the polls, it will come under increasing pressure to provide some serious solutions to the serious issues facing Britain. Or else Rupert Lowe – and others – will be off.

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