Rupert Lowe assaults Reform UK over Bangladeshi candidate – ‘insult’ | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Rupert Lowe has launched a blistering assault on Reform UK – his former social gathering – for choosing a Bangladeshi nationwide as a council candidate, calling it “an insult to the British people”. Mr Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP and chief of Restore Britain, launched the assault after Addy Mo Asaduzzaman, 23, who has go away to stay within the UK, was named because the social gathering’s candidate for the Central Southsea ward in Portsmouth’s May 2026 metropolis council elections.

In a social media submit on Friday, Mr Lowe, presumably with one eye on the elections, mentioned: “A Bangladeshi man, Addy Mo Asaduzzaman, is officially confirmed as Reform’s candidate in Portsmouth. Standing foreign nationals in our elections is an insult to the British people. There is finally a party that will ban foreigners from standing and voting – Restore Britain.”

Mr Asaduzzaman arrived within the UK on a pupil visa and studied for a Masters in digital and electrical engineering on the University of Portsmouth. He advised the BBC he was proud to name town house and had “worked hard to build a life here” by following authorized routes.

He added: “I find it insulting to see people breaking into the UK and immediately being put up in free accommodation, receiving allowances, working illegally and accessing free education while I have done everything the right way.”

The announcement triggered a backlash on social media, with some Reform supporters claiming “non-Brits should not be allowed to stand” and “no foreigner should hold any position of power in this country”. Several mentioned they have been reassessing their assist for the social gathering.

Councillor George Madgwick, Reform’s Portsmouth group chief, hit again on the critics, describing the feedback as “frankly disgusting” and the abuse as “appalling”. Mr Asaduzzaman represented “the kind of migration we want” – individuals who pay to return right here, are educated, work full time, pay taxes, combine and assist the neighborhood, Mr Madgwick added.

The choice reaffirmed Reform as “the antidote to the far right”, he burdened.

UK legislation permits sure non-British residents, together with eligible Commonwealth residents or these with indefinite go away to stay, to face for election as councillors or MPs. The Central Southsea seat is presently held by Labour.

Mr Lowe was elected as a Reform UK MP in 2024 however was suspended by the social gathering in March 2025 over allegations of bullying in his parliamentary workplace.

He denied the claims, which he known as vexatious, and later give up the social gathering. He now leads Restore Britain, which he has positioned as taking a harder stance on immigration.

Reform UK – led by Nigel Farage – has been contacted for remark.