In January this year, Elon Musk suggested that Nigel Farage should resign as leader of Reform UK, saying: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.” At first, I dismissed this as a case of a billionaire overreaching into British politics, a man who, for all his genius, does not fully understand the nature of British politics. But I am now having second thoughts.
Reform UK is in civil war. The Reason? Rupert Lowe, one of the party’s five Westminster MPs. He has been a diligent and fearless advocate for causes Reform UK was supposedly founded to fight for. His reward? The party withdrew the whip, publicly investigated him for vague allegations, and cast him out. One day, he was being praised as a leader-in-waiting. The next, he was persona non grata. These two facts appear to have a cause and effect relationship. They have led to a sharp debate about Farage’s leadership.
On the one hand, we have the defence: the claim that Farage is indispensable to Reform UK and that, without him, the party would collapse, just as UKIP did after he left. On the other, Reform UK increasingly appears to be nothing more than a vehicle for one man’s vanity. Any challenge to his personal supremacy is ruthlessly crushed, even if it cripples the movement itself.
Sean Gabb, in an article written years ago but still relevant today, defended Farage’s leadership. He argued that Farage embodied the principles of his party and that his charisma and relentless energy were the only things keeping the party from dissolving into irrelevance. Unlike the corrupt buffoons in Westminster, Farage had a genuine connection with the electorate. He spoke their language and channelled their frustrations.
Gabb also pointed out that Farage was one of the few political figures in Britain who had achieved something significant. He had led the UKIP insurgency that ultimately forced David Cameron into holding the Brexit referendum. Without Farage, Britain might still be inside the European Union.
There is no denying that strong leadership is necessary to hold an insurgent party together. Without firm control, these movements risk being hijacked by careerists, or infiltrated by provocateurs, or torn apart by infighting. The problem is that this justification only works when the challengers really are time-wasters or outright nutters. But, looking at the history of those purched by Farage, a worrying pattern emerges. His purges have not simply targeted opportunists or incompetents. Some of the most promising figures in his parties have been cast out as soon as they began to outshine him.
In both 2004 and 2009, UKIP made significant gains in the European Parliament. By the end of both terms, about half of its MEPs had been expelled or had resigned. The reason? Repeated clashes with Farage himself. When he eventually stepped down as leader, UKIP imploded—not because of external pressures but because he had systematically removed anyone with the ability to take his place. Farage does not tolerate competition. His parties revolve solely around him, with no viable succession plan in place.
A political movement cannot survive if it is built round a single leader. Politics is a contest for power. A party must function like an army, with competent successors always on hand to step in if the leader falls. Under Farage, this principle doesn’t operate. Anyone with the talent to pose a challenge is quickly sidelined. What remains is a collection of weak and ineffectual figures. When Farage eventually steps down, the party disintegrates. This is not a sign of strong leadership. It is the mark of a man who values personal control over institutional resilience.
Let me return to Rupert Lowe. By all accounts, he was one of Reform’s most effective MPs. He spoke persuasively in Parliament, shocking the opposition with his meticulous dissection of the grooming scandal. He had the courage to argue for the policies Reform UK supposedly exists to push, such as the mass deportation of illegal immigrants. Yet, this very effectiveness made him a threat.
Then came the turning point. Elon Musk declared that Lowe would be a better leader than Farage. Lowe, for his part, made the mistake of publicly questioning whether Farage was truly suited to be Prime Minister. He noted that there was something “rather too Messianic” about his leadership. The next day, Reform UK announced that Lowe was under investigation for bullying and threatening violence. A senior barrister was leading the inquiry. The police were involved. There were even whispers that he might be senile. Regardless of the outcome, the party made it clear: Lowe was finished.
He had been purged, and purged in the usual Farage way—with a brutal and self-serving lack of competence
The truth seems to be that Nigel Farage is not a leader. He is an entertainer, an inspirer—but he is not a builder. He does not nurture talent or create structures that outlast his personal involvement. He does not prepare successors. He rules as a personalist autocrat. When he inevitably steps aside, there is nothing left but ruin.
Britain is in serious trouble. The ruling class is at war with the people it governs. Reform UK should be a vehicle for real change. But as long as it is shackled to Farage’s ego, it will never be more than a sideshow.
Nigel Farage has outstayed his usefulness. It is time for him to resign.
Further Reading:
Financial Times. “Reform UK Suspends Rupert Lowe Amid Allegations of Bullying.” Financial Times, March 9, 2025. https://www.ft.com/content/f8a56da7-c748-48cf-97e6-ceef45229073
GB News. “Reform UK Polls After Rupert Lowe Suspension: Where Does the Party Stand?” March 12, 2025. https://www.gbnews.com/politics/reform-lowe-farage-polls-map
Reuters. “Musk Says Farage Should Step Down as Leader of Reform UK,” January 5, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/musk-says-farage-should-step-down-leader-reform-uk-2025-01-05
Sean Gabb, Nigel Farage and the Leadership Principle (https://www.seangabb.co.uk/nigel-farage-and-the-leadership-principle-2015-by-sean-gabb/)
The Guardian. “From Trump Whisperer to Trouble: Angry Reform UK MPs Turn on Farage,” March 9, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/09/from-trump-whisperer-to-trouble-angry-reform-uk-mps-turn-on-farage
The Guardian. “Police Investigate Reform MP Rupert Lowe Over Alleged Verbal Threats,”, March 11, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/11/police-investigate-reform-mp-rupert-lowe-over-alleged-verbal-threats
The Daily Telegraph. “The Rupert Lowe Fracas Shows Reform Won’t Survive Under Farage,” March 11, 2025. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/11/the-rupert-lowe-fracas-shows-reform-wont-survive
Turbulent Times, Reform Battle Too Far (https://www.turbulenttimes.co.uk/news/front-page/reform-battle-too-far/)
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“He had led the UKIP insurgency that ultimately forced David Cameron into holding the Brexit referendum. Without Farage, Britain might still be inside the European Union.”
Hmmmm
I think perhaps Sir James “Jimmy” Goldsmith who ran the Referendum Party at the time, actually was the lens through which the People’s Anger was able to focus on the tinderbox of British Politics. UKIP helped a lot but the one without the other…….. just speculation.
What is not speculation is that UKIP without MPs in Westminster was a Showpiece – it was the political equivalent of The Apprentice. I told NF back in 1992 (?) – ish that for any change to the Governance of the UK to shift from rubber stamping Statutory Instruments to self Governing once again, had to be undertaken within Westminster by British Politicians, and that alone. The EU Parliament was, and remains, a DUMA.
Nigel couldn’t work comfortably with people or perhaps he selected people with whom he could not work. There were more than Gadflies in UKIP there were full on nutters but the really competent people never got a look in. UKIP became a Circus with one Circus Master. When Nigel left the Tent collapsed. I have to be careful how I phrase this as I do not know Rupert Lowe. But a call yesterday from a friend in London who would support Reform left me puzzled. My friend is a keen Southampton FC Supporter and he has told me that Mr Lowe destroyed the Club. I have zero interest in Football but some of you in the UK must know if there is truth to it. I do not believe Mr Farage is a good Leader, he is a good Barker but were Reform run properly, soasto pose a real threat to the Establishment, all Ministries would have someone waiting in the shadows to Govern if Reform either won the election or held the balce of Power. There were and are many men and women who are capable of taking such positions but I believe most of them are deterred by the unprofessional way Reform is being Managed or are ignored as they may pose a threat to the status quo.
A Party should avoid having a leader who is there as a result of the Cult of Personality and the invisibility of others, too bland to be remembered. So although I joined and remain a Member of Reform, I do not believe the Party will secure a serious position in British Politics unless it wins every by-election from henceforth. I wish I felt differently but I don’t. The British are very conservative with a small”c”. Thus they would never vote for a Party led by a man named Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon who appears embarrased by his real name. Sorry to see the ghastly state of the UK. We left in 2012 but can still vote despite foreign residence and multiple Passports. (No carpling from the Peanut Gallery – my Canadian Uncle Pilot was killed defending the UK in 1944). Excuse the boralogue but in my opinion both Nigel Fareage and Rupert Lowe need to go.
I have met Farage several times, and once had lunch with him. I found him charming and witty, and I came away very impressed. However, he has had more than bad luck in his choice of colleagues, and Bryan does make a credible case that he is not the kind of team player a leader needs to be. This is a shame as he is in more than one sense the best leader the Reform Party has.
They’re all bought and paid for, I think.
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