Claim: Rupert Lowe Was Cleared by the Standards Commissioner Over Rape Gang Inquiry Donations
Summary of the Claim
In July 2025, it was reported that Parliament’s Standards Commissioner had investigated Rupert Lowe over an alleged failure to register donations to his “Rape Gang Inquiry” crowdfunder. Supporters of Lowe stated that the Commissioner had “cleared” him of breaching MPs’ rules on donations. Critics argued that questions remained about transparency and timing.
This fact-check examines what the Commissioner actually found, what the complaint was about and whether the claim that Lowe was “cleared” is accurate.
Where the Claim Came From
The claim arises from a formal inquiry opened by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards following a complaint from a member of the public. The complaint alleged that Lowe had failed to register donations made to a crowdfunder he organised in connection with his parliamentary activities.
The Commissioner published a written report under the heading “Not upheld” and also appears on the “Allegations not upheld: 2025” page on the UK Parliament website. Media outlets including The Independent, LBC and others then reported that Lowe had not breached MPs’ rules on donations over the hundreds of thousands of pounds raised for his Rape Gang Inquiry.
Verdict: ✅ True
The official report is explicit. The Commissioner concluded that no breach of the House of Commons rules had occurred in relation to the registration of donations at the time of the inquiry. The complaint was formally “not upheld”. It is therefore accurate to say that the Standards Commissioner cleared Lowe of that specific alleged breach.
However, this does not make any wider judgment on the merits of the crowdfunder itself or on future compliance. It is a finding about this particular complaint and time period.
Evidence and Analysis
1. What the complaint alleged
The complaint, submitted in June 2025, focused on a crowdfunder launched by Lowe in March to support his independent Rape Gang Inquiry. The complainant argued that some donations exceeded the parliamentary threshold for registrable interests and that Lowe had not recorded them in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests within the required 28-day period.
Under the rules, MPs must register donations over a set value that support their work as an MP. The complaint therefore alleged a failure to fulfil this obligation.
2. The Commissioner’s inquiry and reasoning
The Commissioner opened an inquiry on 10 July 2025. During the investigation, Lowe provided evidence about when funds from the crowdfunder actually reached the bank account of the inquiry. The report records that while some individual donations did cross the threshold for registration, they were not accepted until 23 June 2025.
The Commissioner noted that MPs have 28 days from the date a registrable donation is received to enter it in the register. Counting from 23 June, that period had not expired at the time of the complaint and the inquiry. As a result, the Commissioner concluded that there had been no breach of the rules.
The summary section of the report clearly states that “no breach of the Rules has occurred” and that the complaint was “not upheld.”
3. How media reported the outcome
Following publication of the report, multiple outlets reported that Lowe had been cleared of breaching MPs’ rules:
- The Independent reported that Parliament’s standards watchdog had concluded Lowe did not breach rules on donations relating to the grooming gangs inquiry.
- LBC reported that he had been cleared after a short investigation into whether he had failed to declare more than £600,000 raised by the crowdfunder.
- Other coverage, including commentary in The Spectator and further reporting on the Rape Gang Inquiry, repeated that the complaint to the Commissioner had been rejected.
There is no evidence of any subsequent standards finding reversing that conclusion.
4. BBC coverage and later apology
The BBC initially reported on the opening of the investigation in a way that implied ongoing scrutiny. After the Commissioner’s decision, the BBC later issued an apology for not updating one regional programme promptly to reflect that the complaint had not been upheld. This reinforces the fact that the official position is that Lowe was cleared in that specific case.
5. Limits of the ruling
The inquiry was narrow in scope. It did not examine all aspects of the Rape Gang Inquiry or every possible concern about donations or spending. It looked specifically at whether Lowe had failed to register donations in time under the rules as they applied to the dates in question.
The finding does not prevent future scrutiny if new facts emerged, nor does it endorse the project itself. It simply concludes that there was no breach of registration rules within the period examined.
Conclusion
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards investigated a complaint that Rupert Lowe had failed to register eligible donations from his Rape Gang Inquiry crowdfunder. After considering evidence about when the donations were actually received and the 28-day registration window, the Commissioner concluded that no breach of the rules had occurred and formally “not upheld” the complaint.
Media reports summarising this as Lowe being “cleared” of breaching MPs’ rules on donations are consistent with the wording of the official report. The claim is therefore rated ✅ True, with the important caveat that the decision relates to a specific complaint and timeframe, not to every aspect of the crowdfunding project.
Sources
• Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards – “Mr Rupert Lowe MP (Not upheld)” PDF
• UK Parliament – “Allegations not upheld: 2025” (listing Mr Rupert Lowe MP)
• The Independent – “Rupert Lowe did not breach MPs’ rules on donations …”
• The Spectator – “Rupert Lowe cleared by standards watchdog”
• The Spectator – “BBC apologises to Rupert Lowe over Rape Gang Inquiry report”