The Peter McCormack Show – Episode #144

Guest: Rupert Lowe

Title: "Is the Government Organised Crime?"

Date: February 2, 2026

Overview

This wide-ranging episode features Rupert Lowe, current MP and anti-establishment campaigner, discussing the state of British government, public sector waste, the powerlessness of Parliament, and whether the British state has descended into what can only be described as organised crime. Peter McCormack steers the conversation from political rot to economic collapse, the failures of both Conservative and Labour parties, immigration, and reform prospects for the UK.

Tone: Frank, exasperated, and urgent—a deep critique of establishment politics with a call for radical change.

Episode Structure & Key Points

1. Is the British State Now the Enemy of the People?

[00:00 – 02:00]

• Rupert Lowe unequivocally states that, yes, the British state has become adversarial towards its own people.
  • Quote: “Do I think the British state has become the enemy of the electorate? I do. I think they have.” — Lowe [00:00]
• He frames both main parties as manifestations of a superficial “uni party”, offering no real alternative for change.
• Public sector waste exposed, using misdirected COVID contracts and missing billions as prime examples.

2. Parliament, Accountability, and Erosion of Sovereignty

[02:00 – 06:35]

• Lowe describes the hollowing out of Parliament and the systematic undermining of MPs’ sovereignty—primarily through selection processes, employment dependency on MP salaries, and legislation from the Blair era.
• Discusses the inadequacy of parliamentary checks on government waste and the proliferation of “parasitic” quangos and quashed accountability.
  • Quote: “MPs are supposed to be omnipotent, they're elected representatives … but they've been neutered … by a house that's been selected incorrectly.” — Lowe [04:00]
• Exposes a culture where questioning permanent secretaries is discouraged.

3. Should Citizens Always Distrust the State?

[06:36 – 08:38]

• Lowe draws on the US Constitution, pointing out Americans’ skepticism towards federal government power as a model.
• Argues the present British government cultivates a dependency culture to maintain control.
• Reflects on COVID and public meekness, warning that without “backbone”, Britain will be lost.

4. The Uni Party, Political Decay, and Voter Disillusionment

[08:38 – 13:26]

• Both main parties are facing an existential crisis; voters are moving to alternatives like Reform.
• Quote: “The British people have realized that actually they've been hoodwinked by thinking they had a choice for change, when actually you've had what we often call the uni party.” — Lowe [09:05]
• Parliament once put “nation above all”; now, it is hollowed out and submission to ideology and bureaucracy reigns.
• Predicts imminent “chaos”—currency, economic, and political.

5. Alarming State Waste, Unaccountable Bodies, and Structural Failure

[13:26 – 20:25]

• Lowe details his work on the Public Accounts Committee, exposing “billions and billions” in waste.
  • Notable quote: “What do we find? We find waste everywhere.” — Lowe [13:33]
• Institutes like DWP have had accounts qualified for 37 consecutive years. Quangos and micro-agencies proliferate to no productive end.
• Quote: “It breaks my heart to watch all this money disappearing because government's not accountable.” — Lowe [16:32]
• The lack of private sector discipline—“who carries the can?”—has led to systemic irresponsibility in government.
  • Taxation crushes productive Britain to fund state bloat.
  • “Why would you effectively damage productive Britain to fund this huge waste everywhere? It's just a ridiculous concept.” — Lowe [19:41]

6. Economic Collapse, Currency Crisis, and Quantitative Easing

[21:43 – 36:06]

• Lowe compares Britain to Enron and the Weimar Republic, warning of slow-rolling collapse unseen by most.
• Critiques unlimited “money printing” (QE) for expanding the state at the private sector's expense.
  • Quote: “The state should be as accountable to the people as the people are to the state… the problem with QE … is that it allows the state to grow when the state doesn't deserve to grow.” — Lowe [32:15]
• Government spending is opaque, taxes are insufficiently transparent, and even as an MP, Lowe cannot get straight answers.

7. The Rape Gang Inquiry & Establishment Failures

[39:57 – 44:30]

• Calls out government inaction regarding the rape gang scandal and the tendency to prioritize image over victim protection.
  • Quote: “The police, the social services, the NHS local government, the Labour Party, nobody has done anything about it. It is a national stain that needs to be exercised.” — Lowe [42:15]
• Critiques the establishment for moving at a “glacial pace” on statutory inquiries to avoid pre-election accountability.
• Lowe’s ongoing independent inquiry, funded by public donation, aims to expose the scandal’s full scope.

8. The Cost of Money Printing & Culture of Dependency

[44:30 – 52:10]

• If blocked from QE, the state would be forced to cut waste rather than go bankrupt.
• The slow “Weimar” collapse: decaying currency, undermined ethics, everyone serves themselves.
  • Quote: “When statism gets completely out of control… all the organs of the state become undermined, they become dysfunctional, they become unaccountable.” — Lowe [46:57]

9. The Middle Class Squeeze and Business Hostility

[47:46 – 51:15]

• Discusses how the regulatory environment and bureaucracy choke enterprise, with particular hostility towards business.
  • Quote: “The state is continually burdening businesses with more and more red tape … The headwinds that businesses face are almost unbearable.” — Lowe [48:41]
• The shift to quarterly digital tax returns represents yet another blow.
  • Quote: “They are the enemy of the state of Britain now. They've become the status is our enemy. Collectivism is our enemy.” — Lowe [51:42]

10. Immigration, Borders, and Cultural Erosion

[52:10 – 62:29]

• The episode covers mass immigration’s impact, the ineffectiveness and complicity of government, and the leverage Britain has but fails to use.
  • Quote: “You ask yourself how [foreign criminals went missing]. I don't know. Is it by design?” — Lowe [53:25]
• Lowe advocates for mass deportation of criminal and non-contributing migrants, detailing policies released by his movement.
• Warns of a “limited time window”—if not corrected by 2029, it may be too late.

11. Future of Political Reform: Restore Britain, Disillusionment with Reform Party

[62:30 – 77:46]

• Lowe and McCormack both express lost faith in the official Reform party, criticizing its recruitment of establishment failures.
  • Quote: “Why would you want to bring in people who've been associated with failure in the past? I don't understand it.” — Lowe [65:22]
• Establishment politics is at a dead end; Lowe’s movement, Restore Britain, aims to unite “common sense thought” and potentially coalesce with other anti-establishment groups.
• Lowe pledges no firm announcement before his rape gang inquiry report but signals intent to provide a political alternative for 2029.
• Quote: “We need radical change, it's got to come from outside the existing political establishment … the best opportunity to vote for something fresh, something that is outside the establishment.” — Lowe [76:07]

12. Lowe as Leader? Vision for the Future and a Cautious Commitment

[77:46 – 80:24]

• Lowe does not rule out running for PM, but stresses the need for “fresh people” and a truly anti-establishment drive.
  • Quote: “I never set out to be [PM] and I would have willingly supported Nigel Farage in being Prime Minister, but … I'm not sure he's the right material to be Prime Minister.” — Lowe [77:48]
• McCormack commits himself to supporting—“If you created an anti establishment vehicle… you would have my time and energy.” — McCormack [79:53]
• Lowe emphasizes the risk, uncertainty, and massive effort required: “It's possible, but it's a hell of a big job. It's going to require a hell of a lot of hard work and it's going to require people to get behind us if they want change.” [79:14]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “The British state has become the enemy of the electorate.” — Rupert Lowe [00:00]
• “Parliament has been hollowed out by [bad] selection processes.” — Lowe [04:00]
• “What do we find? We find waste everywhere.” — Lowe [13:33]
• “If I was a director of a company that had qualified accounts for 37 consecutive years, I would have suffered some form of penalty ... but state bodies don't.” — Lowe [17:05]
• “I think we're heading for chaos. I think we're heading for currency chaos. I think we're heading for economic chaos.” — Lowe [11:44]
• “The state should be as accountable to the people as the people are to the state.” — Lowe [32:16]
• “The state is continually burdening businesses with more and more red tape…” — Lowe [48:41]
• “Is the British state in the hands of organized crime? I, I, I, I just don't know. … Misprocured contracts … are actually an invitation for fraud.” — Lowe [80:24]
• McCormack: “If you created an anti establishment vehicle … you would have my time and energy.” [79:53]

Notable Actions & Plans

• Restore Britain: Lowe’s independent movement aiming to unite anti-establishment voters and common sense thinkers.
• Rape Gang Inquiry: Ongoing, independent, and set to culminate in a major report; point of pride and focus for Lowe.
• Policy Discussions: Mass deportation, economic reform, and transparency in taxation and spending articulated.

Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• Lowe accuses the British government of being nearly indistinguishable from organised crime, citing systemic unaccountability, incompetence, and self-dealing.
• He sees little difference between Labour and Conservative—both are implicated in the decline.
• Parliament is powerless, oversight mechanisms dysfunctional, and government agencies are opaque and unfocused on the public good.
• The episode delves not just into economic collapse and public sector waste but also the moral and cultural decay that accompany statist expansion.
• Lowe’s movement, Restore Britain, is positioned as a possible political rallying point for those alienated by the establishment.
• The window for reform is closing, with 2029 looming as a “point of no return.”
• While Lowe is not desperate to become Prime Minister, he’s open to the challenge if needed; both host and guest see a real appetite for radical anti-establishment change.