It might have have gone under the radar for Southampton supporters, but ex CEO and Chairman of Saints Rupert Lowe was elected as a Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth last week, representing the Reform party and he has pledged to donate his salary to charity.

The mention of Rupert Lowe will draw a very mixed reaction from Southampton fans and most of it will be in the negative, but the BBC is reporting that after his election as an MP he is doing something positive.

The view many have of Lowe is slightly unfair, whilst there can be no doubt that at times his tenure at the club sparked controversy and he made some major gaffes, it should be balanced by the fact that he also achieved a lot, including keeping the club in the Premier League with just about the lowest income in the division before we moved to St Mary's and the subsequent move to the new stadium, although it has to be said the path to that was far from smooth.

The final 18 months of his first period saw him lose the plot a little, the appointment and subsequent sacking of Paul Sturrock after just 13 league games spread over 5 months was not his finest moment and the decision to replace him with Steve Wigley before sacking him 3 months later to then bring in Harry Redknapp was a disaster.

Failure to win promotion at the first attempt saw him depart in 2006 for Michael Wilde, but Lowe left the club in a good position financially and it's subsequent meltdown could not be placed at his door.

He should never have returned for his second spell, by then the club was on the verge of Administration and he came back to try and stop that happening, some claimed that his policy of getting rid of as many of the experienced professionals that he could and playing youngsters led by Jan Poortvliet was part of some bizarre experiment, but the truth was we were a club trying to get through a season losing money with the hope that in the summer of 2009, we would get some big earners off the books and be able to survive.

That, as history tells us did not happen, in March 2009 Barclays froze the overdraft and Lowe had to call in the receivers, he did however leave a lasting legacy in that one of his final signings for the club that cost a fee was 18 year old Morgan Schneiderlin, who went on to play for the club for 7 seasons and 231 League games and would be sold to Manchester United for £25 million, a true club legend.

He departed the club himself at the same time and many will see him as the man who took the club to the verge of extinction, whilst I am no apologist for Lowe, I also feel that a balanced view should be given, he should be blamed for the misdemeanours that he was responsible for, he should not be castigated for those that he was not responsible for, not those he wasn't.

He disappeared from view after his final departure in March 2009 and returned to his business life outside of football, he also returned to his political life.

Before plotting up at the Dell in 1997, he has stood as a candidate in the General Election of that year for the Referendum Party, a forerunner of Reform and he also was a player in the Vote leave campaign of 2016 that canvassed for Brexit as it became known.

In 2023, Lowe returned to politics as Reform UK's Business and Agriculture Spokesman and he subsequently contested the 2024 Kingswood by-election, finishing 3rd.

Now he has achieved his aim of becoming a Member of Parliament and his first act has been to pledge his net salary to a charity each month.

He had this to say on social media.

"I’m donating my entire net MP salary to Great Yarmouth charities/worthy causes," Mr Lowe posted.

"Each month, a different one will be chosen and I will post proof for every single one."

His spokesman said the MP was looking at developing an application process and that the decision was personal.

According to the UK Parliament website the gross salary for an MP is £91,346. so roughly speaking £7,600 a month, the net amount will be considerably smaller after tax and national insurance, probably a little over £5,000 per month, but it is good to see that it will go to good use.

I am sure that some Saints fans will read this and spit on the ground at the mention of Rupert Lowe's name and deride me for writing what they would see as a pro Lowe stance, that is far from the case, this is a short story about what Lowe is doing now, it is not anywhere near the full story of his 10 seasons at the club, if I was to do that it would need more than a brief article, it would need a whole book, perhaps one day it will be written and the full story come out, but it should be a balanced one.

Lowe's popularity at Southampton FC was a roller coaster ride and as much as the Lowe out protests had popular support, the same people who were screaming for his departure, where doing just the opposite in 2021 when they walked through the turnstiles of St Mary's for the first time or at Cardiff for the FA Cup final in 2003.

Photo: Action Images

GasGiant added 10:38 - Jul 8 Good to see a balanced nuanced piece about a controversial figure. Doesn't happen very often on this site.
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kevleykeegle added 11:14 - Jul 8 I don’t want a balanced article about a man who was a stain on our club’s history and a total scumbag for representing a right wing, populist, bigoted and racist party. He can go do one.
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SaintNick added 12:11 - Jul 8 I have written a balanced view of him, to be honest I don't really want to defend him and I am not going to comment on his political beliefs, but tell me why, in your opinion he was a stain on the clubs history
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highfield49 added 12:33 - Jul 8 In answer to your question Nick, the answer is Harry Redknapp.
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SaintNick added 12:41 - Jul 8 Undoubtably that was a poor decision and one that cost the club dearly, but many other club Chairman/CEO's have made bad appointments, this does not make him a stain on the clubs history. It could also be said that he didn't want Redknapp, he wanted to reappoint Glenn Hoddle He also appointed Gordon Strachan who was one of the clubs most popular managers at the club
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Bowlercow added 13:26 - Jul 8 Nick his company developed the Dell site and pocketed a massive profit At the same time he built SMS on borrowed money That ultimately led to the club going into administration. His timing of putting us into admin meant that we started our first season in L1 on minus 10 Had he done it just one month sooner we would have had a 10 point deduction in the championship and therefore started afresh in L1 I had the misfortune to meet the man a couple of times just before we moved to SMS and that was the reason I never attended games on a regular basis until we went into admin That Nick is why he is a stain on the clubs history He has a nasty supremesist attitude along with the rest of the reform leadership

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Bowlercow added 13:55 - Jul 8 One more thing Nick He will not pay any NI because of his age
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Block8 added 14:42 - Jul 8 All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?😂
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SaintNick added 16:28 - Jul 8 Bowlercow- i am not sure that you are telling the right story here, the Dell was sold to Barratt Homes who developed the site, Barratt Homes were a major building company founded in 1958 Lowe has never has never been a director of them. Of course he built St Mary's on borrowed money, most clubs do. I think the borrowed amount was around £13 million if I am correct and we serviced that debt with no problem up to the time he left in 2006. Our financial problems happened after Lowe had left, Michael Wilde spent money and sanctioned wages when he did not have the cash to cover the payments and as the club could not service its debt it was on the verge of administration in June 2008 when Lowe returned. The timing of administration was only relevant if we had stayed up in our own right and then the deduction was applied, in simple terms we needed to have finished outside the bottom 3 for the 10 point deduction to apply, we didnt so it was carried on till next season. I met Lowe on dozens of occasions, he was from a different background from me that was for sure, but I didn't judge him on his character, just on what he did or didn't do, yes he may have had a supremist attitude, but then again show me a football club CEO/Chairman/Owner who doesn't, if you spoke to most of the staff at St Mary's during his time there, they didn't hate him and one thing is for sure when compared to Nicola Cortese Lowe looked like a card carrying socialist.

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Colburn added 16:58 - Jul 8 It always amuses me to read loony lefty false accusations without evidence. Classic scenario when you lose an argument, hurl insults.. pathetic.. is this really your opinion or did someone off the tele say it? Kevley, where is your evidence for this racism? Are you happy to be sued for defamation? Btw I’m not the oppo of the loony left either, I’m not on that bird, we have the illusion of choice on a national level, they’re all controlled by elite, rich maniacs. But if it helps you vent your frustration that someone dares to oppose the guy who didn’t investigate Jimmy Savile, twice, then that’s up to you! Well done for giving his wages to charity, I doubt the millionaire MP’s will be doing that, we’ve all seen how much they claim, whether rightly or not. I didn’t particularly like Lowe but I totally agree with Nick’s summary of Lowe as a chairman. Looking forward to seeing this evidence of racism from Rupert to see if it’s any worse than the antisemitism from the left, which will probably now stop given the background of the PM’s wife. You started it Kev!

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Bowlercow added 17:20 - Jul 8 St Nick Lowes company did all the donkey work on planning etc before brining in Barrets Lowes company po keyed enough money to have built SMS without a loan It was said at the time that his personal share was £20m
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Whatsforpud added 17:52 - Jul 8 I think of Rupert Lowe as the chairman who built the stadium. As I remember the cost was £32 million - that is £1,000 per seat. A lot of new stadiums were in the process of being built around then, and afterwards, at a far greater cost per seat than that. That is his permanent legacy.
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kevleykeegle added 18:17 - Jul 8 OK Colbert, I’ll bite… my evidence for his racism is simple, he has chosen to represent a political party that is racist to its core? If you want examples of their lies and bigotry I’m happy to do so. I suspect you’re cut from that same cloth as Rupert, politically speaking. Feel free to sue.
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Bowlercow added 18:39 - Jul 8 Kevley I saw a quote recently that sums up Reform Not everyone who votes reform is racist but everyone who is racist votes reform At their core are the remnants of the banned, openly racist, national front
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Monksway added 09:51 - Jul 9 At least Rupert Lowe actually exists which apparently isnt necessarily the case for all the Reform candidates. I hope the media obsession with this fridge party and the hideous Farage goes away now the election is over. Forget the vote share, that's the political equivalent to loads of possession and no goals!
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Monksway added 09:52 - Jul 9 Fringe not fridge 😂
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SanMarco added 13:00 - Jul 9 Lowe's politics are for him and those that choose to support him. Was he good as a Saints chairman? I am sure Nick's view is balanced but it was a long time ago and what the heck. One thing I would say about Colburn's views: If you really think it is 'loony left' to have serious doubts about Reform UK in terms of illiberal, racist and far right politics then you are very much of the 'loony right'. Look at the world as it is now and it is you lot who are far more dangerous than the far left. I cannot think of one far left politician with any real power in the whole of the western world (if you think Starmer is far left then you make my point) - we have however Bravermans, Farages, Le Pens, Melonis, Orbans and Putins all over the place...

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SaintEPW added 10:37 - Jul 13 Agree that a balanced view of any Saints Owner including Lowe is absolutely valid - and great job Nick - you often seek to present different sides - and on such a site that is wonderful to see- given how so many sites present one sided views. However, taking a " balanced " view of Reform and those who represent Reform is another and different thing. Reform UK represents many things that are extreme and malicious - which encourage hatred between people and between cultures. It is really important to fairly discuss these issues but many of the elements behind Reform UK are not equitable or ethical - and no amount of ' sanitising ' by Lowe donations of salary - should lead us to strike a " balance" with extremist views or with the actions that lie underneath Reform. Hatred needs to be called out when we see it - whether Right or Left - We can be proud of our heritage of encouraging disadvantage people to come to UK. Just look at the Current England team - maybe only 2 or 3 have a background that is untouched by immigration. Our team success is built on Immigration. I look forward to Farage and Lowe Congratulating the England Football team and the strong and positive cultural roots of our team

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LoisDeem added 16:50 - Jul 28 Balanced and nuanced? -no. Don't want to see anything about politics on here Nick -and certainly not that fringe outfit with the unbalanced. The suggestion that Rupert Lowe enabled -even built singlehandedly -the St Mary's Stadium really sticks in my craw and demeans the efforts of so many other people in Saints history. If I do not hear another word about this colossal self aggrandising buffoon it will still be too much. For Nick to use this as a platform for him and his one track misfit party is a step too far, so no more please.

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