On October 17, 2025, the Conservative Party made a move that’s already stirring the pot in Westminster: former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, now sitting as an Independent, will be handed one of the Tories’ coveted seats on the influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The decision, confirmed by both the Evening Standard and PA news agency, marks a notable moment of cross-party collaboration—at least on the surface—and has prompted a flurry of reactions from across the political spectrum.
Lowe, who represents Great Yarmouth, was originally elected as a Reform UK MP. However, his relationship with that party soured in March 2025, when he had the whip suspended after a dispute. Since then, he’s been operating as an Independent, but now finds himself at the center of a new Conservative strategy to tackle government waste and oversight. The PAC, after all, is Parliament’s chief watchdog on public spending, tasked with ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and that government waste is rooted out.
According to a Conservative party spokesperson, the move is all about values—specifically, the shared drive to “cut waste.” The spokesperson said, “As Kemi Badenoch demonstrated when she made the offer to sit down with Keir Starmer to help get proper welfare savings through Parliament, the Conservatives will work cross-party if it is in the national interest. We want the Public Accounts Committee to do its job of ensuring taxpayers get better value for money from the state, as well as identifying areas of Government waste.”
But why Rupert Lowe, and why now? The answer, at least from the Conservative benches, seems to lie in his business credentials and an apparent willingness to work across party lines. “Having someone who has run a business and shares our values on cutting waste on this committee will help meet that goal,” the spokesperson added. This isn’t the first time the Tories have handed out committee seats to MPs from outside their own ranks. DUP MP Sammy Wilson, for example, currently occupies a Conservative spot on the Environmental Audit Committee.
For Lowe himself, the appointment is both an honor and a continuation of his efforts to operate beyond party boundaries. Speaking to PA, he said, “It’s an honour to be selected to serve the British people through sitting on the Public Accounts Committee – I have committed a huge amount of time and energy to working on a cross-party basis in Parliament to deliver on a number of important campaigns. This is a continuation of that, and I look forward to using my extensive experience in business to ensure that British taxpayers are receiving good value for money on how their taxes are being spent.”
It’s worth noting that Lowe’s new role does not mean he’s joining the Conservative Party. The arrangement is strictly about committee membership, not party allegiance. According to PA and Evening Standard reporting, he will remain an Independent MP, albeit one now working closely with the Conservatives on a high-profile parliamentary committee.
The mechanics of the move are also telling. Peter Fortune, the Conservative MP for Bromley and Biggin Hill, is understood to be stepping down from his seat on the PAC to make way for Lowe. This kind of seat-swapping isn’t unprecedented, but it does hint at the growing willingness among some Tories to forge alliances—or at least working relationships—with MPs from outside their traditional fold. Susan Hall, a prominent Tory from the London Assembly and the party’s most recent mayoral candidate, has also joined the Restore Britain board, a group associated with Lowe, further evidence of these emerging ties.
Still, not everyone is convinced this is a move in the right direction. The Labour Party, in particular, has seized on the appointment as evidence of what they see as ongoing Conservative mismanagement. A Labour source told the Evening Standard, “The Tories crashed the economy and sent people’s mortgages rocketing. So it’s no surprise they would hand-pick someone for this position who also has no fiscal credibility.” The source went on to point to Lowe’s business record, specifically his role as a director—alongside former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty—of Digme Fitness, a gym chain that ultimately went bust.
Labour’s criticism didn’t stop there. “If the Tories had learned anything, they would finally publish the detail behind their unfunded spending pledges, which run to the tune of billions. But they won’t, because they haven’t changed and they can’t be trusted,” the source added. For Labour, the appointment is less about cross-party pragmatism and more about a lack of fiscal responsibility and transparency within the Conservative ranks.
For the Conservatives, however, the move is being spun as a sign of maturity and a willingness to put the national interest above party politics. By referencing Kemi Badenoch’s earlier outreach to Labour leader Keir Starmer on welfare savings, they’re making the case that effective government sometimes means setting aside party loyalties—at least on the committees that scrutinize how public money is spent. Whether this argument will win over critics remains to be seen, but it’s clear the party is eager to show it can work with others when the stakes are high.
Of course, the PAC is no ordinary committee. Its remit includes holding government departments to account for their spending, investigating cases of waste or mismanagement, and making recommendations to improve value for money. It’s a plum assignment for any MP, and Lowe’s business background—whatever Labour might say about Digme Fitness—gives him a certain credibility in the eyes of those who believe Parliament needs more real-world expertise.
This episode also highlights a broader trend in British politics: the increasing fluidity of party lines, especially when it comes to committee assignments and behind-the-scenes cooperation. While the House of Commons chamber remains fiercely partisan, committees like the PAC are often where the real work of oversight and accountability gets done. The Conservatives’ willingness to bring in outsiders—whether from Reform UK, the DUP, or elsewhere—suggests a recognition that fresh perspectives (and perhaps a bit of political cover) can be valuable assets.
As for Rupert Lowe, he seems content to focus on the job at hand. His statement to PA emphasized his commitment to working on a cross-party basis and his desire to use his business experience for the public good. Whether he’ll be able to deliver on those promises, and whether the Conservatives’ gamble will pay off, is something only time—and the PAC’s future reports—will tell.
For now, though, the appointment has succeeded in shaking up the usual committee politics at Westminster and has given both supporters and critics plenty to talk about. As the PAC turns its attention to the government’s spending in the months ahead, all eyes will be on Lowe and his new colleagues to see if this experiment in cross-party cooperation really delivers for British taxpayers.
