Credible harassment claims towards MP Rupert Lowe, report finds

A lawyer investigating former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has discovered “credible proof” he and his employees mistreated two feminine crew members in ways in which “appear to quantity to harassment”.

Jacqueline Perry KC, employed by Reform to research after complaints have been raised in February, discovered proof of “victimisation, fixed criticisms and discriminatory behaviour”.

Parliamentary officers have launched a separate bullying probe into Lowe. In the meantime, the Met Police is investigating Lowe after Reform accused him of threatening “bodily violence” towards the get together’s chairman.

The Nice Yarmouth MP denied the claims and stated his suspension was a response to criticising get together chief Nigel Farage.

Following the report’s publication, Reform UK instructed the BBC Lowe had been expelled from the parliamentary get together.

Reform can also be within the technique of cancelling Lowe’s get together membership.

He was suspended earlier this month, following allegations he had threatened get together chairman Zia Yusuf in December.

The transfer leaves Reform with 4 MPs in Parliament, after the get together obtained the third-most votes total in final 12 months’s common election.

Farage instructed the BBC the lawyer’s report confirmed the get together was “proper to be involved” about allegations made towards Lowe.

Requested if there was any approach again for him into the get together, the Reform chief stated “it could be very tough” given Lowe was rejecting the KC’s report.

Many of the allegations have been towards different members of Lowe’s crew.

However in her report, Ms Perry stated “complaints have been made instantly in respect of the conduct of Mr Lowe”.

Ms Perry discovered: “There’s veracity within the complaints from each ladies which quantities [to] ‘credible proof'”.

Ms Perry stated Lowe additionally did not “tackle the alleged poisonous conduct” of male colleagues within the workplace, and refused to behave on complaints.

One of many complainants claimed she was met with “hostility and disdain” from Lowe when she raised considerations, the report stated.

“On the very least Mr Lowe ought to have taken critically the misery and considerations,” it added.

Lowe had a “obligation and duty to make sure programs have been in place to keep away from junior members of employees being handled in any unfair and discriminatory approach”, she added.

Concluding her report, Ms Perry stated there was a “actual threat” that the alleged therapy could possibly be a breach of the Equality Act.

Ms Perry stated her position was to not decide any criminality however to evaluate the “veracity” of the bullying and harassment allegations towards Lowe and his employees, decide any authorized implications, and advocate measures to forestall future incidents.

She beneficial Reform must be “fairly strict” about making certain get together members have been “absolutely acquainted” with parliamentary guidelines on bullying and discrimination legal guidelines.

Lowe had beforehand claimed that Ms Perry had contacted him to say she discovered “no credible” proof towards him – resulting in the KC to contact the BBC to rebut his claims.

Responding to the report, Lowe stated in a social media publish: “There was no bullying. There by no means has been any bullying. Utilizing such claims to break me by way of my employees is shameful.”

Lowe insisted the claims are “outright lies” and referred to as the method “disgustingly biased”.

The MP, who has sat as an unbiased since his suspension, stated: “Reform has put my crew by way of hell in an try to smear my fame.”

He claimed that the 2 ladies solely got here ahead after disciplinary motion was taken towards them – a declare contradicted by the report.

The report stated one of many ladies made the preliminary allegations of “bullying and unacceptable conduct from a selected particular person within the constituency workplace” on 18 December final 12 months.

She additionally formally made her criticism to the Parliamentary Unbiased Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) in January.

The complaints by each ladies have been raised “previous to any disciplinary procedures set in movement by Lowe towards every of them”, the report stated.

The report added: “Any suggestion from Mr Lowe, as he has made within the media, that these ladies complained following the instigation of disciplinary proceedings towards both of them is inaccurate.”

Lowe repeated his declare Reform solely started investigating the complaints after he publicly criticised chief Farage in an interview with the Each day Mail.

Lowe was suspended from the get together two days after the interview was revealed.

In his assertion, Lowe stated he had “cooperated and spoken at size with the KC [Reform] instructed, at nice price to the get together, to research a minor employees matter.”

However the report said Lowe had “declined to formally reply to the complaints” and pointed to a message Lowe had posted on social media, the place he stated he would “not be participating with the Reform ‘investigation’ into blatantly vexatious complaints”.

The BBC has been instructed Ms Perry didn’t count on her report back to be revealed on Tuesday, with the choice to take action taken by the get together.

She had given Lowe till Wednesday to answer to her requests for info, though it was not anticipated that he would interact additional.