The Daily T: Lowe – 'Farage is leading a cult, I might start my own party'
As the row inside Reform rumbles on, Camilla speaks to the man behind the headlines: Rupert Lowe. In the wake of his blistering attack on his former ally Nigel Farage, Lowe tells The Daily T the Reform leader is 'running a cult' and a 'narcissist'.
He also says he might start a new party to the right of Reform, calling for 'a satisfactory alternative' that is 'more than just a mobile PR machine'.
Elsewhere, we also bring you part two of The Daily T's interview with veteran Tory MP and father of the house Sir Edward Leigh, who's leading the charge against Kim Leadbeater's Assisted Dying (Terminally Ill Adults) Bill.
MPs will debate and vote on amendments to the bill on Friday, which would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales if it's passed later this summer. Sir Edward explains why he has joined forces with Labour grandee Diane Abbott in an attempt to halt the Bill's progress.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Show us your BritCard: Minister confirms Government looking at introducing ID app in illegal immigration crackdown
The Government is 'absolutely' looking at the idea of introducing a BritCard ID app as it seeks to tackle illegal immigration. a Cabinet minister confirmed today. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said that ministers 'know we need to look at all the actions we can take' to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats. The phone app would display a person's right to live, work and rent in the UK on a smartphone. And as well as blocking illegal immigrants from working, supporters say it would also tackle benefit fraud through links to government records. It has already received support from several cabinet ministers, including cabinet office minister Pat McFadden and technology secretary Peter Kyle. And today Mr Reed told Times Radio on Friday morning, Mr Reed said: 'It's absolutely something that we are looking at, and that we should be looking at.' He added: 'We know we need to look at all the actions we can take to stop the levels of illegal migration that we were seeing particularly under the last government. 'We have to stop the number of people that we've seen who don't have a right to come here.' Environment Secretary Steve Reed said that ministers 'know we need to look at all the actions we can take' to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats. Asked whether he thought digital IDs should be mandatory, Mr Reed told the same station: 'There's a discussion going on and I'm happy to take part in that discussion as well. Advocates think the scheme will send the message that Britain is not 'a soft touch' on illegal migration and will decrease the 'pull' factor, which many European countries blame for the ongoing small boats crisis. Britain remains the only European nation without an ID card system, with Tony Blair 's famous attempt to introduce one collapsing in 2011, after the coalition government pulled the plug on it. It is also hoped the app can tie a number of different services together, including ordering passports, displaying driving licences and national insurance numbers, and offering NHS services. Labour Together, a think tank run by Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, from 2017 to 2020, has collated plans for the card and sent them to Downing Street. They include a requirement to 'show' the ID when renting a property or starting a new job, with the system automatically checking their right to work or rent against government records. Existing documents to check identity can be easily forged, potentially deceiving landlords or prospective employers. A mock up of the app, seen in the plans, shows a screen with an individuals' face and name on it, as well as his right to work and rent statuses, driving licence, and options to share identity or age. The report, published on Friday, urges the Prime Minister to make digital identity a 'top prime ministerial priority' and commence a 'fundamental transformation in the way British citizens interact with the government'. It points to a poll which suggests 80 per cent of the public back the implementation of digital right-to-work credentials, with just under one in three believing it would act as a deterrent against people entering the country illegally. The report said that those who did not want to have a digital ID card on their phone would be allowed to carry a physical one instead. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has placed herself in opposition to some of her colleagues, including many from the 'Red Wall' wave of Labour MPs, with Home Office sources describing her position as 'nuanced'. Sir Keir Starmer has admitted the public has 'every right to be angry' about the issue after more than a thousand migrants made the journey in a single day for the first time this year. Home Office data showed 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats on Saturday. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper , pictured in May, has placed herself in opposition to some of her colleagues, including many from the 'Red Wall' wave of Labour MPs But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described Sir Keir's words as 'rubbish', claiming that even Defence Secretary John Healey had acknowledged ministers had 'lost control' of the borders. Saturday's figures were the first time daily crossings topped a thousand in 2025, and prompted Mr Healey to claim Britain had 'lost control' over the last five years, implicating the former Tory government. Writing on social media site X on Monday, the Prime Minister said: 'You have every right to be angry about small boat crossings. 'I'm angry too. We are ramping up our efforts to smash the people smuggling gangs at source.' He claimed hundreds of boats and engines had been 'seized', raids on illegal working were up, and 'almost 30,000 people' had been returned. But Mrs Badenoch hit back, responding: 'Rubbish! Even the Defence Secretary admits the govt has 'lost control' of our borders.' Small boat arrivals are 'up 95% from this point in 2023', she said, and claimed ministers had 'scrapped the only viable deterrent': the previous Conservative government's Rwanda plan. Sir Keir had earlier insisted the Rwanda plan 'didn't deter anybody', after his decision to scrap it was highlighted while he visited Glasgow for a major defence announcement. He added: 'I'm not up for gimmicks. I'm up for the hard work of working with partners, enhancing the powers that law enforcement have, in my determination to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade.' Saturday's crossings brought the provisional annual total so far of migrants who have made the journey to 14,811. This is 42 per cent higher than the same point last year (10,448) and 95% up from the same point in 2023 (7,610). It is still lower than the highest daily total of 1,305 arrivals since data began in 2018, which was recorded on September 3, 2022.
Daily Mirror
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Nigel Farage gets another slap in the face to end disastrous week of chaos
Nigel Farage has seen his Reform party descend into chaos after an MP's question was branded 'dumb', the chairman quit with a scathing message and Labour unexpectedly triumphed in the Hamilton by-election Nigel Farage may be wishing he had stayed on holiday. Reform UK is in chaos after its chairman quit hours after accusing the party's newest MP of asking a "dumb" question at PMQs. And shortly after it finished third in a hotly-contested by-election, despite being projected to beat Labour. To make matters worse for Mr Farage there are reports of disgruntlement as big donations fail to materialise. Following a brutal few days, his former-ally-turned-nemesis Rupert Lowe said he "must never be Prime Minister". It raises further questions about Mr Farage's ability to lead effectively as he tries to convince voters he can be trusted to run the country. Here we look at how the week unfolded for Mr Farage. Criticism over his holiday Mr Farage arrived back in Parliament on Monday with criticism about his termtime holiday ringing in his ears. You'll remember that he swanned off overseas rather than grill Keir Starmer about his EU reset agreement. Despite griping about the deal on social media, Mr Farage had already headed off on holiday when the PM came to the Commons to ask questions. He was slammed for "sunning himself in Europe" and being a "part time leader". A Tory spokesman said "the part-time leader of Reform UK is sunning himself in Europe while Parliament is sitting". He continued: "He clearly doesn't have the stamina to stand up to Starmer." And a Labour spokesman said: ' Nigel Farage clearly cares so passionately about this issue he's decided he can't get up from his sunbed to represent his constituents or his party. 'He's not a leader – he's an opportunist who just talks Britain down whenever it suits him." MP demands Starmer does something Reform wouldn't do either Things got tasty at PMQs on Wednesday when Reform's newest MP, Sarah Pochin, stood up to ask her first question of Mr Starmer. She demanded to know whether Mr Starmer would follow the lead of other countries in Europe and ban the burqa. Ms Pochin suggested it should be done in the name of "public safety". The problem is that her own party had not committed to doing it either - although colleagues have rolled in behind her. Mr Starmer said he was "not going to follow her down that line". Reform later clarified that banning the burqa was not one of its policies. Chairman brands MP's question 'dumb' The plot thickened when the party chairman, Zia Yusuf, publicly attacked Ms Pochin, branding her question "dumb". He posted on social media that he "learnt about the question and the party's position re: it not being policy for the first time on my X feed". But in a scathing conclusion he went on: "I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do." Yusuf quits with scathing verdict Things went from bad to worse for Reform when Mr Yusuf decided he'd had enough. In a scathing post he said he no longer thought getting Reform into power was a "good use of my time". He had been brought in last year by Mr Farage to professionalise the party. But according to The Express he has been increasingly sidelined in recent weeks, setting the scene for a showdown with the leader. Mr Yusuf posted on Twitter /X: 'Eleven months ago I became chairman of Reform. 'I've worked full-time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results. I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' Labour win surprise by-election Mr Farage started the week up in Scotland, where he may have been hopeful of an upset in the Hamilton by-election. It was expected to be a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform, but in the early hours of Friday it was confirmed that Labour had won the seat. Reform were pushed back into third. Mr Starmer said people had "voted for change" after Davy Russell won the Scottish Parliament seat. Mr Russell said the community had "sent a message to Farage and his mob tonight - the poison of Reform isn't us, it isn't Scotland and we don't want your division here." Frustration as donations do not materialise There was more bad news for Mr Farage as reports emerged of disgruntlement with Reform's new Treasurer. Insiders griped to the Financial Times that big donations have failed to materialise since property tycoon Nick Candy took over the role. One of them told the newspaper: 'He has been all talk and no trousers.' Another senior figure said the party had 'not been receiving as much as I'd like' in recent weeks. Reform UK has been contacted for comment. Farage 'must never be PM' says former ally Mr Farage's spectacular fallout with Rupert Lowe is another headache to contend with. You'll remember he was suspended and reported to police over allegations about his behaviour toward Mr Yusuf. The investigation was closed with no further action. The spat happened after Mr Lowe accused Mr Farage of acting like a "messiah" and venting frustration over his leadership. Reform insists the two things were not linked, but the battle looks set to continue for some time. Meanwhile it's fair to say Mr Lowe, who now sits as an independent MP, is enjoying what he sees. He posted on Twitter/X: "Farage says he would 'rather eat razor blades' than allow me back into Reform. " Having sat with him as an MP for eight months, I've already got plenty of them in my back. Farage and his ego are together incapable of building a team. He must never be Prime Minister."
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Richard Tice says Reform should ‘discuss' burqa ban after party chair quits
Reform 's deputy leader, Richard Tice, is advocating for a national debate on banning burqas in Britain, despite it not being the party's official policy. The call for a debate follows the resignation of Reform's chairman, Zia Yusuf, who deemed the proposal to ban burqas as "dumb." Sarah Pochin, Reform's new MP for Runcorn and Helsby, raised the issue during PMQs, urging the government to consider a ban on burqas for public safety reasons, similar to some European countries. Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected the call, and a Reform spokesman clarified that banning burqas was not party policy, leading to criticism from the far-right. Nigel Farage said he supported a broader debate on face coverings in public, while Mr Tice denied the party was in chaos and praised the work of the outgoing chairman.
