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The press conference comes after police launched an investigation into suspended MP Rupert Lowe, who denies claims of wrongdoing
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Nigel Farage will attend a Reform UK press conference as the party grapples with a bitter feud that threatens the group’s soaring popularity.
The Reform leader will be joined by MPs Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, James McMurdock and chairman Zia Yusuf at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London.
It comes as Techne’s weekly tracker poll for The Independent has shown Reform falling to its lowest point since January in the wake of Mr Farage’s suspension of fellow Reform MP Rupert Lowe over claims that he made threats against Mr Yusuf.
Police are investigating claims of “verbal threats” allegedly made by MP Rupert Lowe. He denies the allegations.
Mr Lowe claimed Mr Farage threw him out of Reform because he had challenged Mr Farage’s leadership, deriding him as a “Messiah.”
Tensions between Mr Lowe and Mr Farage have simmered since Elon Musk said last year that the former Southampton chairman would be a better Reform leader than Mr Farage.
Meanwhile, the government is expected to set out plans for welfare reform in an effort to get more people back to work and cut the cost of a benefits bill.
The move has angered MPs within Labour’s ranks, with veteran left-winger Diane Abbott warning that reducing benefits is “not a Labour thing to do”.
Zia Yusuf said today’s announcement will underscore the “stunning momentum” behind Reform UK.
The party chairman said that, “in the last eight months, reform has delivered the most historic acceleration politically in British history”.
“We are now looking ahead to 1 May (local elections),” Mr Yusuf said.
He has now handed over to Reform leader Nigel Farage, describing him as “the next prime minister of the United Kingdom”.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is set to announce that 29 local councillors have defected to the party ahead of local elections in May.
Our Political Correspondent Archie Mitchell is attending the press conference at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London.
We will be bringing you the latest lines from the conference.
More details on the rumoured billions in welfare cuts Labour plans to announce this week have been revealed as reports indicate ministers are looking to shave £6 billion from disability benefits claimed by millions of people.
My colleague Albert Toth explains:
The Independent’s Political Editor David Maddox highlights the parallels between Lee Anderson’s past and current political controversies.
In 2024, Mr Anderson, known for his outspoken views, was expelled from the Conservative Party after refusing to retract comments linking London Mayor Sadiq Khan to terrorism.
Subsequently, the Ashfield MP joined Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage.
A year later, as Reform UK’s Chief Whip, Mr Anderson played a role in suspending Rupert Lowe over allegations of bullying.
There is an irony in Mr Anderson’s journey from being ousted for insubordination to enforcing party discipline, David Maddox writes.
Read the full analysis from David here.
Sir Keir Starmer and the King are due to host the new Prime Minister of Canada today.
The PM will meet with the ex-governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, as he undertakes his first foreign trips since being sworn into office in Canada last week.
Canada has been taking part in discussions around a coalition of countries willing to contribute to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, and it comes amid tensions between Ottawa and Washington DC.
For context,
Mr Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada last week.
He served as governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, the first non-Briton to hold the position.
There is “too much bureaucracy” which is making it “too slow to get things done” across the UK, Rachel Reeves has told regulators.
The chancellor told watchdog chiefs on Monday morning she wanted to reduce duplication by regulators.
Speaking as the meeting began, Ms Reeves said: “You know that the number one mission of this Government is to grow the economy. There are a number of things over the last decade or so that have held back growth, and one of them – if we are honest and you know better than anyone – is the regulatory landscape.
“Too much overlapping regulation, too much bureaucracy, too slow to get things done. It is something that myself and other ministers hear all the time.”
The Chancellor is expected to unveil 60 measures Britain’s regulators have agreed to take in order to boost economic growth following Monday’s meeting.
For context,
The Labour government have stepped up its efforts to cut red tape across all departments.
Last week, Sir Keir Starmer announced that NHS England – an administrative body dubbed the world’s largest quango – would be scrapped as part of efforts to cut costs and boost economic growth.
As well as abolishing NHS England, the government has already announced plans to fold the Payments Systems Regulator into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and Ms Reeves is likely to scrap more regulators.
Rachel Reeves’ mission to grow the UK economy has taken yet another knock, as the country’s economic forecast has been slashed as a result of a mounting trade war sparked by Donald Trump’s global tariffs.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cut its predictions for UK growth to 1.4 per cent in 2025 and 1.2 per cent in 2026, down from 1.7 per cent and 1.3 per cent in its previous predictions.
The graph below shows the OECD economic outlook predictions for countries across the world as US president Donald Trump’s tariff war begins to bite:
The Independent’s Political Correspondent Millie Cooke has the full report on the OECD’s projections here.
Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall is expected to set out plans for welfare reform on Tuesday in an effort to get more people back to work and cut the cost of a benefits bill.
However, there has been an outcry from some Labour MPs over the reforms.
Several backbenchers have expressed frustration at the lack of communication from ministers, with one describing “engagement sessions” held by Number 10 as a “tickbox exercise” and another saying many of their colleagues had made it clear they would vote against such proposals.
But, Emma Reynolds, the economic secretary to the treasury, said Labour backbenchers are “jumping to conclusions” about expected reforms to the welfare system before the plans are confirmed.
Nigel Farage will lead a Reform UK press conference as the party grapples with a bitter feud that threatens the group’s soaring popularity.
The Reform leader will be joined by MPs Richard Tice, Lee Anderson, James McMurdock and chairman Zia Yusuf at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London.
It comes as Techne’s weekly tracker poll for The Independent has shown Reform falling to its lowest point since January in the wake of Mr Farage’s suspension of fellow Reform MP Rupert Lowe over claims that he made threats against Mr Yusuf.
For context,
A police investigation has been launched into claims of “verbal threats” allegedly made by MP Rupert Lowe.
The 67-year-old MP for Great Yarmouth was suspended by Reform UK amid allegations about his conduct, which he denies.
Reform said Mr Lowe had been reported to the police over alleged “threats of physical violence” to party chairman Zia Yusuf.
It also claimed that two women working in the MP’s offices had made complaints about “workplace bullying” and “derogatory remarks”.
Mr Lowe has strenuously denied the claims.
Good morning,
Welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.
We will be bringing you the latest from Reform UK’s press conference and the growing backlash on the government’s welfare reforms.
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