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Ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe will not face criminal charges Ex-Reform MP Lowe will not face charges over alleged threats
(31 minutes later)
Rupert Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, will not face criminal charges in relation to an allegation of threats, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.Rupert Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, will not face criminal charges in relation to an allegation of threats, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.
Malcolm Mc Haffie, head of the CPS, said it made the decision "following a thorough and detailed review of the evidence". Lowe was elected as a Reform UK MP in last year's general election but was suspended by the party in March, amid claims of threats towards the party's chairman.
Lowe was elected as a Reform MP in last year's general election but was later suspended by the party. Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS, said it made the decision not to press charges "following a thorough and detailed review of the evidence".
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. "Having considered a number of witness statements, we have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction," he said.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts. In a statement on X, Lowe said the Metropolitan Police were dropping their investigation into "false allegations" and accused Reform of carrying out a "brutal smear campaign".
"For the sin of asking legitimate questions about the party's direction, policies and leadership, I was vilified and targeted," he said.
Lowe, who now sits as an independent MP, also fiercely attacked his former party's leader Nigel Farage, calling him a "a coward and a viper".
Although the CPS statement does not name Lowe, the case relates to an incident at the Palace of Westminster in December 2024.
Mr McHaffie said: "The Crown Prosecution Service's function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent, and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.
"Based on the careful consideration of this evidence, we have decided that our legal test for a criminal prosecution has not been met.
"The decision is also subject to the Victim's Right to Review (VRR) scheme which provides a victim or their families in some classes of case with a specifically designed process to exercise the right to review certain CPS decisions not to start a prosecution or to stop a prosecution."