Rupert Lowe was hosting a glitzy dinner for potential Reform donors just hours before the Great Yarmouth MP was reported to police, it has emerged.
Lowe, who was suspended by the populist party amid allegations of serious bullying and threats of violence on Friday, was at the fundraising event alongside Reform treasurer Nick Candy.
The pair were schmoozing with prospective backers at the exclusive private dining club Oswald’s in Mayfair on March 6.
Just hours later, the Metropolitan Police received a report against a 67-year-old man for allegedly making threats towards Reform chairman Zia Yusuf in an incident which took place in December.
The report was also lodged shortly after Lowe’s sit down interview with The Daily Mail was published.
However, the interview was held some time earlier on February 25 and Lowe was only informed of the allegations against him on February 28.
During the interview, the outspoken former Southampton FC chairman labelled Reform a “protest party” and swiped at Nigel Farage by saying it is “too early” to know if the Clacton MP will make a “good Prime Minister”.
Farage later rejected Lowe’s criticisms, suggesting the Great Yarmouth MP was gunning for his job as Reform leader.
Following revelations about last week’s donor dinner, a friend of Lowe told The Daily Mail: “The party’s story is unravelling.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
“If, as Richard Tice says, they could no longer work with Rupert why was he with the treasurer at Oswald’s?
“He was with one of the most senior figures in Reform the night before they threw him under a bus.
“The complaint to the police was because Rupert compared Nigel Farage to a Messiah. We all know what happened to the last Messiah.”
Reform UK hosted another fundraising event at Oswald’s in January, with potential donors paying between £10,000 and £25,000 to attend.
The spat engulfing the populist party kicked off on Friday, with Reform UK confirming Lowe was facing a KC-led probe over allegations of serious bullying and violent threats.
The 67-year-old was also accused of “manhandling” a Labour Minister after the pair locked horns in a fiery House of Commons debate.
The Labour MP told GB News: “The anger displayed towards me clearly showed a man not in charge of his own faculties.”
Lowe, who soon after lost the Reform whip, denies all the allegations made against him and stressed the incident involving the Labour Minister had been resolved in December.
Throughout the early stages of Reform’s civil war, Lowe has attributed a number of statements to the lawyer appointed to investigate the allegations.
However, the KC last night dealt Lowe a blow after correcting the record.
The lawyer told the BBC: “I have seen a number of statements made by Mr Lowe MP which are attributed to me and which describe my reactions to the process conducted by the party into the allegations.”
“I have not expressed either ‘dismay’ or ‘shock’ at any time as to the process,” the KC added.
Responding to the remarks, Lowe claimed: “Ever since this malicious attack on my reputation was launched, all I have asked for from both Reform and the KC is credible evidence against me.
“None has been provided. It still hasn’t. The KC has said she has been ‘chasing’ for that. I have received nothing. Because there is no credible evidence against me.”
Farage broke his silence on the debacle over the weekend, telling The Telegraph: “What many people may not have realised, however, is that in that time he [Lowe] has also managed to fall out with all his parliamentary colleagues in one way or another.”
The Clacton MP added: “All I do know is that Mr Yusuf was presented with complaints which he could not simply disregard.”
Speaking to GB News over the weekend, Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice suggested the door was closed on Lowe being readmitted into the populist party’s ranks.
He told the People’s Channel: “The whip has been withdrawn, and that should be the assumption. We’re driving forwards. We’re not holding back.
“We’ve got a job to do. We’ve got hundreds of seats to win in May. We’re not going to be distracted by this noise. And you know what? I don’t think the British people will be either.”