Is it defection season already? It’d be a little more of a grey area for Rupert Lowe, following his suspension from Reform earlier this month. However, it is now claimed that the firebrand politician is weighing up a sensational Parliamentary switch.
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Rumour Mill: Will Rupert Lowe leave Reform for the Tories?
According to a report from The The Sun, Mr. Lowe has already had in-person meetings with two senior Tory MPs. It’s understood that the party turfed out of government last year see him as an ideal candidate to boost their electoral chances.
One source stated that Rupert Lowe – the former owner of Southampton Football Club – is ‘not ruling anything out’ at this point. He has yet to publicly reject the claims laid out in the report. Several other Conservative Party figures have also reached out to him.
Reform chaos: Rupert Lowe vs Nigel Farage
A civil war has erupted within Reform over the last few weeks. After negatively referring to party leader Nigel Farage as ‘messianic’, he was then suspended the day after, following allegations of intimidatory behaviour towards Reform Chair Zia Yusuf.
The spat has seen Rupert Lowe lose the whip, meaning that Reform are now down to just four MPs in Parliament – the same amount as the Green Party. It seems no amicable resolution will be found, after Farage claimed there would be ‘no way back’ for Lowe.
Will Reform and the Tories become one?
Any potential defection would also raise the possibility of Reform and the Conservatives working together in the future. Both electoral pacts and a full-on merger of the two parties have been floated before, with Nigel Farage touted as a figurehead.
However, Lowe could become the first serving MP to switch from Reform to the Conservatives. The reverse has happened previously, when Lee Anderson changed his allegiance last year. Perhaps the differences aren’t all that difficult to overcome…