Nigel Farage ended 2024 as American Renaissance’s White Renegade of the Year for his efforts to neuter the British Right. He disavowed remigration, said the British should not oppose Islam, and promised more stringent vetting for Reform Party candidates.

This time, the victim was MP Rupert Lowe, probably the most prominent figure in the party besides Mr. Farage himself. In a recent interview, Mr. Lowe said Reform had to be something more than a “protest party led by the Messiah.” Mr. Farage fired back, saying that Mr. Lowe wanted to be prime minister and that his comments were “wrong.”

Reform MP Rupert Lowe (Credit Image: © Martyn Wheatley/i-Images via ZUMA Press)

There was already a split in the party because Mr. Farage refused to support the jailed political dissident “Tommy Robinson” (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), leading Elon Musk to conclude that Mr. Farage “did not have what it takes.” Mr. Lowe, who was the whip in Reform’s parliamentary group, was the obvious successor.

Mr. Farage has since stripped Mr. Lowe of the whip and says there is no way back for him: “He’s out to cause maximum damage.” Mr. Farage again dismissed the idea of remigration: “The idea that you can deport whole communities who have British passports is just not possible under British law and never was.”

Reform raised the stakes by reporting its former whip to the police, accusing him of making threats against party chairman Zia Yusuf, a Muslim. The party also accused him of “bullying” female employees. Mr. Lowe denied the charges and may file a libel suit. Mr. Farage and Mr. Lowe are also feuding over the timing of when the latter criticized the former’s “messianic” tendencies.

Mr. Lowe’s team is defending him:

There are two main problems with Reform. First, Nigel Farage is a prima donna. For him, every movement has to be a one-man show. This worked with Brexit, which was a single-issue campaign that triumphed because of help from Conservatives, notably Boris Johnson. However, a political party that intends to govern must have a shadow cabinet and a leadership team ready to go. Reform doesn’t have this, and it’s not clear Mr. Farage wants it.

Reform already had a major leadership fight when Mr. Farage purged deputy leader Ben Habib. Mr. Habib says that just a few days before the blowup, he messaged Mr. Lowe, warning that his expulsion was coming, urging him to resign before he was pushed out, and noting that Nigel Farage cannot play well with others.

The second problem is Mr. Farage’s limited vision. His resistance to remigration at a time when it is going mainstream is misguided. Even if Mr. Farage’s caution were justified, letting one MP broach the topic would be far less destructive than a damaging leadership fight and referring a colleague to the police on what appear to be flimsy charges. Elon Musk, who could have given Reform the financial backing it needs, now supports Mr. Lowe. Party membership is falling. Mr. Farage has ignored repeated attempts to heal the breach.

Some say that only Nigel Farage has the charisma and prominence to make Reform a plausible challenger to Tories and Labour. A recent poll found more than 86 percent of British voters, and more than 70 percent of Reform voters, have never heard of Mr. Lowe.

However, there are other considerations. There is a great deal of deception and cheap promises on immigration by parties that want to muddy the waters. Tories in opposition can say they have learned their lesson and will really control the borders next time.

They may have already outflanked Reform by saying they will not allow the European Commission on Human Rights to control immigration decisions. Some scoff at the Tories being led by a black woman, but is that any worse than the “nationalist” alternative that has a Muslim second-in-command who apparently needs police protection from “physical threats” by a 67-year-old man? Mr. Lowe has not ruled out joining the Tories, which might finish off Reform.

Britain may be the most degraded white country — even worse than Germany — with the least resistance to dispossession. Reform had a tremendous opportunity, but Nigel Farage is not the man to lead British nationalists. Patriots may be best served by looking to other groups, especially the Homeland Party, which is quickly building a strong following and is committed to remigration. Its Remigration Conference next month will be a major test of whether it can capture the energy on the Right. Reform itself seems to be yet another dead end, and another reason some think Nigel Farage has been “controlled opposition” all along. I don’t think so. In politics, ego, rather than malice, often explains failure.

https://www.amren.com/commentary/2025/03/the-collapse-of-the-reform-party