Rupert Lowe: Police seized wheelbarrow full of guns from my home

Telegraph

16-05-2025

Armed police seized a wheelbarrow-load of guns from former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.
The MP for Great Yarmouth was reported to the police in March after Zia Yusuf accused him of making two threats of physical violence, which Lowe denied.
The Metropolitan Police passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service last week, but on Wednesday the CPS said no action would be brought.
On Friday, Mr Lowe posted video and images of police arriving at his home and inspecting his guns a month earlier, during the investigation into alleged threats against the party chairman.
He posted the videos and images on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing police arrive at night before inspecting guns in the kitchen before leaving at 11.38pm.
He said: 'As a result of the false allegations that I made threats against the Reform chairman, on the 14th March at 21.30, armed police arrived at my home unannounced – three vehicles, with four armed officers.'
He added: 'The previous day, I had arranged with the police to voluntarily give up my guns. So as you can imagine, to have armed police suddenly arrive on my doorstep late at night was a deeply stressful situation.
'I am a farmer. Farmers have guns, all entirely legally. There is nothing unusual about it.'
Police 'confiscated' his guns, he claimed, filling a wheelbarrow. He added: 'I have a large collection, so it took some time - a wheelbarrow was required.
'I of course fully cooperated, and now that the investigation has been dropped I look forward to having my guns promptly returned.'
He accused Nigel Farage's party of 'disgusting weaponisation of the criminal justice system', and added: 'The evil behaviour from the Reform leadership must be called out.'
In a series of WhatsApp messages leaked to the BBC earlier this year, Mr Farage told an activist Mr Lowe was suspended because he had tried to 'damage' the party before the local elections.
Days before details of the accusations emerged, Mr Lowe had given an interview in which he accused Mr Farage of acting like a messiah and said he was not sure he could continue to back him.
Reform swept the board at the elections, winning control of a number of county councils.
Mr Lowe is still facing a parliamentary investigation into allegations he and members of his team bullied two former members of his staff, claims that he has categorically denied.
The MP said he did not blame the police for the way they had carried out their investigation.
'I blame Reform: their disgusting weaponisation of the criminal justice system had very real life consequences, for me and my family,' he said.
'So when people tell me to 'move on', the answer is no. Try having armed police arrive at your home unannounced late on a Friday evening. It is not a pleasant experience.
'The evil behaviour from the Reform leadership must be called out.'
On Wednesday, head of the special crime division at the CPS, Malcolm McHaffie, 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 police report came amid Mr Lowe's suspension from Reform and led to an extraordinary war of words between the MP and his now former party.