Latest news with #independentMP
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Lowe hits out at ‘coward and viper' Farage after CPS say he will face no charges
Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe accused his ex-colleagues of a 'sinister' attempt to use the police to silence him, as he launched a furious attack on Nigel Farage. No criminal charges will be brought against Great Yarmouth MP Mr Lowe, after he was accused of making verbal threats against party chairman Zia Yusuf. The Crown Prosecution Service said there was not enough evidence to bring charges against 'a sitting MP' over an alleged incident at the Palace of Westminster in December. Mr Lowe, who now sits in the Commons as an independent, accused Reform's leader, Mr Farage, of being a 'coward and a viper'. He said: 'This was not normal political infighting. 'It was a sinister attempt to weaponise the criminal justice system against me, putting not just my political future but my liberty at risk. 'All because I dared to raise constructive criticisms of Nigel Farage, stood firm on deporting illegal migrants, and pushed for Reform to be run democratically – not as a vehicle to stroke one man's ego.' Mr Lowe said he was 'ashamed' to have shared a platform with Reform. 'Farage is no leader – he is a coward and a viper. I feel deeply embarrassed that I ever thought he was the man to lead,' he said. Mr Lowe said Mr Farage 'must never be prime minister', warning: '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.' The bitter feud between Mr Lowe and his former allies intensified after tech billionaire Elon Musk praised the Great Yarmouth MP in January and suggested Mr Farage did not have what it takes to lead the party. In a statement in March, Reform UK said Mr Lowe had been reported to police over alleged 'threats of physical violence' to party chairman Mr Yusuf. Malcolm McHaffie, 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.'
ABC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Greens defend internal complaints process after Tammy Franks's shock resignation
The South Australian Greens have hit back at former party co-leader Tammy Franks, a day after the upper house MP walked out on the party, labelling her comments "deeply regrettable and inappropriate". A day after Greens internal tensions exploded into public view with Ms Franks's resignation, the party said its investigation into complaints against her found she had "engaged in misconduct". Ms Franks denies any wrongdoing, describing allegations against her as "unsubstantiated and false". She resigned from the Greens on Tuesday to sit as a "progressive independent" in the upper house, leaving the party with just one MP in parliament. The veteran Greens MP, who had already flagged she would not stand for re-election in 2026, also went public with a scathing critique of the party's internal procedures, claiming there were people in the party who "wanted me to move on". She claimed there were "some 100-plus pages" of allegations made against her that "weren't particularised into something that would fit anybody's definition of misconduct". "I joined a political party that should have had processes that when an allegation was made, it should have been investigated properly," she said on Tuesday. "The complaints included that I'd used voice-to-text to send emails and messages. "I used voice-to-text for a short period of time because I was going through menopause and had extreme joint pain and couldn't hold pieces of paper or pens. "I find it ludicrous that that was one of the charges against me." Ms Franks said another misconduct charge she faced was that she had "disrupted meetings" she was chairing with her staff. "I challenge anyone to explain how I'm meant to chair a meeting and give my staff direction and run a functional office without taking lead in that situation," she said. Ms Franks said she intended to "take action" against the Greens for "unfair and oppressive behaviour" under the Associations and Corporations Act. After only releasing a brief statement on Tuesday that did not address Ms Franks's claims, the SA Greens on Wednesday defended its internal party processes. The minor party said there were "complaints raised in relation to the behaviour of Ms Tammy Franks MLC". "The party acted on these complaints and undertook a process where it was found that Ms Franks had engaged in misconduct," the Greens said in a statement. "That finding was upheld by the party's state council. "The process was carried out in accordance with Greens SA by-laws and constitution. "The party acted on, and implemented, the recommendations resulting from that process." The Greens added that Ms Franks's decision to "publicly criticise the complainants" was "deeply regretful and inappropriate". Ms Franks told the ABC on Wednesday the misconduct findings against her were upheld by the party but "were not investigated by an independent body and no procedural fairness was followed". Greens MLC Robert Simms, now the only Green in South Australia's parliament, said he had "no idea" his co-leader was going to resign on Tuesday. "I did know though … that she had been frustrated or feeling unhappy for some time," he told ABC Radio Adelaide on Wednesday. "I did think there was a chance that something like this could happen at some point, but I had hoped that that wasn't going to be the case." Mr Simms, a former senator who has been in state parliament since 2021, said it had been "a difficult 24 hours" and he "tried to support Tammy as best as I can". "But these things do happen in political parties from time to time." He also denied there was a culture problem within the Greens and defended the party's internal processes, saying: "I respect our party processes and our procedures — I think they're pretty robust." "But of course there's always an opportunity to do things differently and the party regularly reviews our internal policies and procedures," he said. Asked about the voice-to-text complaint Ms Franks said was raised against her, Mr Simms said he did not have "any details of the specifics of the complaint". "Our party misconduct processes are confidential … it's not one that's run by MPs, it's run by the political party exec committee that's set up to run that," he said. "And so out of respect for the people who are involved in that process and their privacy, I don't want to comment on what might have been involved in that process." Mr Simms's chief of staff, Melanie Selwood, was preselected in December for the number one spot on the Greens' upper house ticket, after Ms Franks announced in September she would not stand again. Ms Franks said she has "no current plans" to run as an independent in 2026 but "I don't rule anything out".
