He has been no stranger to controversy since becoming a Reform MP last year – and now Rupert Lowe has sparked fury after having his pet labrador put down with a rifle.
Colleagues were shocked after it emerged Mr Lowe – now sitting as an independent – asked his gamekeeper to shoot 17-year-old Cromwell in the back of the head at his Gloucestershire estate.
The dog had been unwell and lost the use of his back legs. Mr Lowe said he took decisive action after realising Cromwell’s suffering was extreme and that waiting overnight to take him to the vet would be ‘cruel’.
He made the admission openly to colleagues in Westminster, triggering fierce debate about whether it was a kind choice.
A parliamentary source said: ‘For weeks, it was going around the Commons like wildfire that Rupert had shot his dog. Colleagues were appalled and upset, with most thinking it was a cruel way to behave.’
