The Reform UK civil war has intensified after Nigel Farage launched an astonishing public attack on a former MP who was kicked out of the party.

Farage accused Rupert Lowe of making “monstrous” allegations about his commitment to exposing the child grooming scandal.

Lowe was dramatically suspended by the party and reported to the police last week, just a day after he accused his party leader of acting like “the Messiah”.

Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf and its chief whip Lee Anderson said two female employees had accused Lowe of “workplace bullying”.

Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, has strenuously denied the allegations and claimed he is the victim of a “witch hunt” for criticising Farage.

In a post on X, Lowe accused the Reform leadership of trying to “silence” him on grooming gangs.

He said: “At a speech in Essex, I was instructed by Farage’s team, sanctioned by him, to remove a call to deport all complicit foreign national family members. I ignored them.

“My repeated pleadings for Reform to follow up on its promise to deliver a national inquiry into the rape gangs were ignored. There was a belief from senior Reform figures that my language on the rape gangs was too strong, too robust, too tough.”

But hitting back on X this morning, Farage said: “I have fought against the rape gangs for over a decade. For Rupert Lowe to say that I tried to prevent him talking about it is monstrous.

“He told Lee Anderson he would ‘slit the throat of the Reform party’. Lowe is out to cause damage & should be ignored by our supporters.”

In response, Lowe said: “Desperate. I said that Reform leadership was slitting its own throat by launching this horrific smear campaign against me, with zero credible evidence.

“I raised questions of Reform policy, communication and structure. The day after, you kicked me out. That’s your real motive.”