Restore Britain
Leader Rupert Lowe
Spokesperson Charlie Downes
Founder Rupert Lowe
Founded
  • 30 June 2025; 10 months ago (2025-06-30) (as pressure group)
  • 13 February 2026; 2 months ago (2026-02-13) (as political party)
Split from Reform UK
Headquarters Millennium House
Gapton Hall Road,
Great Yarmouth
NR31 0NL[1][2]
Membership 132,000
Political position Right-wing to far-right
Local affiliations Great Yarmouth First
Colours   Navy blue
House of Commons
1 / 650
House of Lords
0 / 836
Scottish Parliament
0 / 129
Senedd
0 / 60
Councillors[3]
23 / 18,645
Website
www.restorebritain.org.uk Edit this at Wikidata
  • Politics of United Kingdom
  • Political parties
  • Elections

Restore Britain is a right-wing to far-right political party in the United Kingdom led by Rupert Lowe, the Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth. The organisation was officially launched as a pressure group on 30 June 2025 and as a political party on 13 February 2026. It presents itself as an umbrella organisation for local grassroots groups and has been labeled as more right-wing than Reform UK on the political spectrum.

Lowe was elected to Parliament for Reform but formally left the party after public disputes with its leadership and criticism of Nigel Farage. Reform subsequently alleged threatening behaviour from Lowe as a reason for his suspension, which Lowe and his staff denied. Later in 2025, he established Restore as a pressure group, with an initial advisory board that included Conservative politicians such as Susan Hall and Gavin Williamson. The party also raised funds via crowdfunding for an inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal.

In February 2026, Lowe said Restore would transition from a pressure group into a national political party. The party advocates for the large-scale deportation of people in the United Kingdom without legal status, including having net-negative immigration. The party wants to have a referendum on reinstating the death penalty, seeks withdrawing public funding for the BBC, including banning the burqa and niqab, legalising the possession of pepper spray, and expanding the legal scope of "reasonable force" in defence of the home. It has also referred to stopping "wokery" and banning kosher and halal slaughter.

In April 2026, The Times reported that "prominent neo-fascists leaders" had backed the party. According to Hope not Hate, the party has gained support from British neo-Nazis including the leadership of Patriotic Alternative, as well as former officials of the British Democratic Party, the British National Party, and For Britain. Lowe has stated indifference to Restore being described as far-right or racist and has disputed that the party is racist or bigoted.

Background

Rupert Lowe was elected as one of Reform's five members of Parliament at the 2024 general election, representing the constituency of Great Yarmouth.[4] On 7 March 2025, Reform suspended him and removed the party whip following allegations that he had made threats of violence towards party chairman Zia Yusuf, as well as other alleged incidents of bullying and threatening behaviour between December 2024 and February 2025.[5][6][7]

The party also cited complaints from staff about derogatory and discriminatory remarks about women and reported the matter to the police, after which the Metropolitan Police passed a file to prosecutors. Lowe and his seven parliamentary staff denied the allegations in an open letter, describing them as false and vexatious, and noted that his suspension and police referral came the day after he had publicly raised concerns and criticised party leader Nigel Farage in a media interview.[8][9][10] On 9 March 2025, Lowe stated that he believed Farage was "watering down" Reform's policy on the deportation of illegal migrants.[11]

On 25 March 2025, leaked WhatsApp messages showed Farage describing Lowe's behaviour as both "disgusting" and "contemptible"; Lowe responded by calling the process a "malicious witch hunt" against him and alleging that it was motivated by his decision to ask questions and challenge the party leadership.[12]

History

Launch

On 30 June 2025, Lowe launched Restore as a political organisation "for those who believe that we need to fundamentally change the way Britain is governed."[13] The launch coincided with that of Advance UK, a far-right party founded by another former Reform UK representative Ben Habib.[14][dead link] Susan Hall, then leader of the Conservative Party group on the London Assembly, joined Restore's advisory board.[15] Lowe raised approximately £600,000 through crowdfunding for an independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs to be sponsored by Restore Britain.[16] This initiative attracted the involvement of Conservative MPs Nick Timothy, Esther McVey, and Gavin Williamson.[17]

On 13 February 2026, Lowe announced that Restore would become a registered political party,[18][19] presenting it as an umbrella organisation for local grassroots groups.[20] Following the announcement, Hall and Williamson left the organisation.[19][21]

On 20 March 2026, Lowe said that the party had been registered with the Electoral Commission to run candidates in Great Britain.[1] Lowe officially joined Restore as a member of the House of Commons on 23 March 2026.[22]

Supporters

On 15 Feburary 2026, Restore announced its first local councillor, Maria Bowtell, who had previously served as a Reform, then independent, councillor on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.[17] Habib stated that he would consider a possible merger between Advance UK and Restore.[17] On 17 February, Restore announced that eight additional councillors had joined the party, including seven from Kent County Council,[23] on which Restore became the third-largest party. Lowe said that further defections were expected.[24]

On 19 February, Lowe announced that three more councillors had defected from Reform: one from Leicestershire County Council and two from Warwickshire County Council.[25][26] The following day, two councillors in North Northamptonshire Council also defected to Restore,[27] though one (Darren Rance) subsequently said he was rejoining Reform.[28][29] The defectors initially sat as independents since Restore was not yet recognised by the Electoral Commission.[27]

Hope not Hate later credited the party for the timing of the launch, due to the "growing appetite for ethnonationalism on the right and the mainstreaming of remigration narratives", describing the party as having "instantly filled the gap to the right of Reform that UKIP, Britain First and a dozen microparties have been clawing to occupy for years".[30]

The Financial Times reported that the social media website X has been "instrumental in helping the party gain reach", with Lowe and the party having a combined reach of over one million followers as of May 2026. X owner Elon Musk has also endorsed the party[31] and amplified its rhetoric.[32]

Far-right support

According to Hope not Hate, by mid-February 2026, ethnonationalists had joined the party, with support from British neo-Nazis including the leadership of Patriotic Alternative. The support base was described as a fragile divide on the far-right between civic nationalists on one side, and ethnic nationalists on the other.[33] In April, the advocacy group further reported that a "tidal wave of fascists, neo-Nazis and other extremists" had declared their support,[30] including former officials of the British Democratic Party, the British National Party, and For Britain.[34]

Britain First agreed to defer to Restore in order to avoid fielding candidates in the same areas.[30] The Week described a decentralised network, "effectively serving as an umbrella for local far-right political partners"; former leader of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson, has backed Restore, along with former Reform deputy leader Ben Habib.[32]

On April 13, The Times reported that "prominent neo-fascist leaders" had backed the party in an attempt to prevent electoral victory for Farage. Simon Birkett, leader of the The Woodlander Initiative and former official of the fascist British National Party, described Restore as the last hope for the far-right to achieve political power, stating that there was a "a world of difference" between the party and Reform UK.[35]

Steve Laws, an influential ethnonationalist and self-proclaimed "proud" racist, urged his supporters to become candidates and organisers for the Restore Britain, in order to "create a stronghold in that party". According to Laws, he is in regular contact with the team, who can be trusted due to being "well to the right" of other far-right parties including Britain First, the British Democratic Party, and the Homeland Party.[35]

In response, Lowe and the party described the report as a "pathetic smear campaign". Laws echoed the sentiment of a smear campaign and stated that "If the paper wants to discuss Restore Britain's stated policy positions, I will be very happy to help. I will defend our position, and our position only".[35]

Far-right supporters of Restore have criticised Reform "not for being too far to the right, but for not being rightwing enough", according to The Financial Times.[31]

Polling and elections

Polling

Findoutnow conducted a poll of 3,029 adults in late February that found 7% of participants would support Restore in a general election.[36][37] In March 2026, Findoutnow found Restore at 8% with Reform at 25%,[38] and in April 2026, it went to 9% for Restore and 21% for Reform.[39]

According to a 14 April 2026 poll by YouGov, Restore maintained 4% in Westminster, with Reform at 24%.[40]

2026 local elections

Great Yarmouth First, Restore's local affiliate party in the Borough of Great Yarmouth, contested 10 seats in the 2026 local elections, nine seats for Norfolk County Council and one for Great Yarmouth Borough Council. Their candidates won all ten seats.[41]

Platform

Restore has been described by media outlets and journalists as both a far-right[42][17][43][44] and right-wing party,[45][46] to the right of Reform,[47][48][49] as part of the radical right,[50] and as "strongly nationalist and socially conservative".[51] Lowe has stated indifference to Restore being described as far-right or racist,[52] has disputed the criticism of the party being "racist or bigoted",[31] and has proclaimed that the party "will look at the facts, and then discriminate."[53]

The Times described Lowe's views as becoming increasingly radicalised while wanting to "implement the harshest possible circumstances for illegal migrants".[54] Hope not Hate categorised Restore as "part of a broader re-racialisation of the British far right" with openly racial politics, while assembling a coalition of figures located "to the right of Reform, all the way through to open fascists".[47] The Financial Times referred to the party as "seeking to outdo Farage in anti-immigrant rhetoric" and as a result "embracing a form of hardline nativism that has rarely been seen in British politics since the de facto disappearance of the British National Party".[31] The Critic, described the party as "positioning itself further right than Reform" and suggested that voters with extreme beliefs may see Restore as the party most in line with their views.[48] The Week opined that "Lowe’s party has sought to present itself as the true voice of the right", while sharing many similar policies with Reform.[32]

Political scientist Tim Bale theorised that "the party’s impact will be determined in large part by how Farage reacts", based on the benefit for the Reform UK leader to distinguish himself from more extreme elements than himself, and suggest he's not far right.[32] The i Paper characterised the party as "a genuine threat" to Farage and "a challenge to mainstream politics".[55]

According to its published materials and public statements, Restore supports policies including the deportation of people residing in the United Kingdom without legal status, seeking net-negative immigration.[56][57] Lowe released a 133-page "mass deportation" policy document for Restore Britain, crediting a range of figures such as Carl Benjamin and contributors to GB News.[58]

The party has also pledged legalising the possession of pepper spray for women and the use of "reasonable force" in the defence of people's homes, and has referred in its rhetoric to a desire to "carpet-bomb the cancer of wokery".[57] It has additionally stated that it seeks to abolish kosher and halal slaughter and to restore Christian principles.[53][59] Other policies include reinstating the death penalty, reducing certain taxes, limiting the size of government, banning the burqa and niqab, and reducing or withdrawing public funding from the BBC.[56][57]

Membership

On 16 February 2026, a few days after Restore announced its launch as a political party, the organisation stated that it had reached 50,000 members.[53] Two days later, Lowe said that membership had risen to 70,000.[60] The following month, the party claimed it had reached 123,000 members, without providing evidence.[31]

Elected representatives

Restore has not yet stood in an election. The party is currently represented in the House of Commons by a single MP, Rupert Lowe. A number of local councillors elected under other descriptions have joined the party.[17][23][25][26][27][28]

House of Commons

As of 23 March 2026
Portrait Member Constituency
Rupert Lowe[a] Great Yarmouth

Councillors

As of 26 March 2026
Council Councillors
East Riding of Yorkshire
1 / 67
Hertfordshire
1 / 78
Kent
7 / 81
Leicestershire
1 / 55
North Northamptonshire
2 / 68
Warwickshire
2 / 57
Borough of Swale
1 / 47
Redcar and Cleveland
1 / 59
Bridgend County Borough
1 / 51
Vale of Glamorgan
1 / 54
Cornwall
1 / 87

Notes

  1. ^ Officially registered as Restore Britain in the House of Commons on 23 March 2026.[61]

References

  1. ^ a b "Registrations: Restore Britain". The Electoral Commission. 20 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Restore Britain LTD overview". GOV.UK. Companies House. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Councillors for Restore Britain". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  4. ^ "Parliamentary career for Rupert Lowe - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  5. ^ Walker, Peter (11 March 2025). "Police investigate Reform MP Rupert Lowe over alleged 'verbal threats'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  6. ^ Walker, Peter (7 March 2025). "Divided Reform UK reports own MP to police amid bullying claims". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Reform UK refers MP Rupert Lowe to police". www.bbc.com. 8 March 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Credible harassment claims against MP Rupert Lowe, report finds". BBC News. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  9. ^ Self, Josh (14 May 2025). "Rupert Lowe hits out at 'viper' Farage and promises 'alternative' to Reform UK". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  10. ^ Heren, Kit (7 March 2025). "Reform UK civil war as party suspends Rupert Lowe after complaints of 'serious bullying' by female employees". LBC. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  11. ^ Gibbons, Amy (9 March 2025). "Rupert Lowe: Reform tried to silence me on migrants". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Reform UK row: Leaked messages reveal Nigel Farage fury with Rupert Lowe". www.bbc.com. 21 March 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  13. ^ Hulland, Louise; Prickett, Katy (3 July 2025). "MP inundated with racist abuse after online post". BBC News. Cambridgeshire. Archived from the original on 3 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025. He launched Restore Britain on Monday, saying it was 'a movement for those who believe that we need to fundamentally change the way Britain is governed'.
  14. ^ Katwala, Sunder (11 January 2025). "Start-up parties mirror cracks in British politics". Eastern Eye.
  15. ^ Cunliffe, Rachel (14 July 2025). "Conservatives don't understand London". New Statesman. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  16. ^ "For those ignored: UK lawmaker begins crowdfunded probe into grooming gangs". India Today. 4 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  17. ^ a b c d e Quinn, Ben (15 February 2026). "UK far right lines up behind Rupert Lowe in challenge to Reform". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  18. ^ Lynch, David (13 February 2026). "Rupert Lowe launches new political party after controversial Reform UK exit". The Independent. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  19. ^ a b "Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe launches Restore Britain party". BBC News. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe launches Restore Britain party". BBC News. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Ex-Reform MP who fell out with Farage launches new party – with very similar name". The Independent. 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  22. ^ "Restore Britain". X. 23 March 2026. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  23. ^ a b Gupta, Tanya (18 February 2026). "Ex Reform UK members form new council group". BBC News. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  24. ^ "Ousted Reform councillors join new rival party as Rupert Lowe declares: 'There will be many more'". Kent Online. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  25. ^ a b Harper, Christopher (19 February 2026). "Reform councillor defects to Restore Britain after 'clashes' with council leader". Leicestershire Live. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  26. ^ a b "Warwickshire councillors defect from Reform UK to Restore Britain". BBC News. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  27. ^ a b c Holland, Kris (20 February 2026). "North Northamptonshire Reform defections 'regrettable'". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  28. ^ a b "Restore councillor leaves 'sinister' party and asks Reform to take him back two days after quitting". Northants Telegraph. 20 February 2026.
  29. ^ Coffey, Laura (23 February 2026). "Northamptonshire councillor wants to rejoin Reform UK a week later". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  30. ^ a b c "The Company You Keep: The Extremists Flocking to Restore Britain". HOPE not hate. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  31. ^ a b c d e Lucy Fisher; Gross, Anna (7 May 2026). "Restore Britain: the far-right party trying to outflank Nigel Farage". The Financial Times.
  32. ^ a b c d "Restore Britain: is new far-right party a threat to Farage?". The Week. 6 May 2026. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  33. ^ "Case file: Rupert Lowe and Restore Britain". Hope not Hate. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  34. ^ Lawrence, David (27 April 2026). "Restore Britain: A new home for old fascists, pt 1". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  35. ^ a b c Dathan, Matt (13 April 2026). "Neo-fascist leaders back Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain and not Reform". The Times. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  36. ^ Quinn, Chay (25 February 2026). "Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain surges but Reform UK still top of polls despite new challenger". LBC. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  37. ^ "Voting intention: Restore Britain and Your Party". findoutnow. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  38. ^ "Voting intention - Restore Britain and Your Party". findoutnow. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  39. ^ "Voting intention - Restore Britain and Your Party". findoutnow. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  40. ^ "Voting intention, 12-13 April 2026: Ref 24%, Con 19%, Grn 18%, Lab 17%, LD 13%". yougov.com. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  41. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c9vll9y48vmt
  42. ^ "How does Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain differ from Reform UK?". The Independent. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  43. ^ Keate, Noah (11 August 2025). "Meet the political movement that's too right-wing for Nigel Farage". POLITICO. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  44. ^ Mortimer, Max Colbert and Josiah (3 July 2025). "Kemi Badenoch Refuses to Sack London Conservative Leader Backing Far-Right Group Demanding Mass Deportations". Byline Times. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  45. ^ Tosh, Kaitlin; Inez Simon, Michelle (November 2025). "How Elon Musk is Boosting the British Right". Sky News.
  46. ^ Jackson, Lucy (17 February 2026). "Nigel Farage fumes over former colleague's new right-wing party". The National. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  47. ^ a b Mulhall, Joe (17 February 2026). "Rupert Lowe and Restore Britain: What You Need To Know". Hope not Hate. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  48. ^ a b Pollock, Adam (18 February 2026). "Reform, Restore, Rehash?". The Critic.
  49. ^ Martin, Matilda (15 March 2026). "Are New Right-Wing Parties A Problem For Nigel Farage?". PoliticsHome.
  50. ^ Keate, Noah (11 August 2025). "Meet the political movement that's too right-wing for Nigel Farage". POLITICO. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  51. ^ Mata, William (23 February 2026). "Who is Rupet Lowe? From Southampton chairman to Restore Britain leader". LBC. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  52. ^ Lowe, Rupert [@RupertLowe10] (16 February 2026). "Restore Britain has been called 'far-right' and 'racist' by the Guardian, Reform and the whole host of soapless socialists over the last few days. I cannot be clearer in our official party response. We do not care. The illegals will go. The hotels will be emptied, the HMOs..." (Tweet). Retrieved 19 February 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  53. ^ a b c Mulla, Imran (16 February 2026). "'We will discriminate': Elon Musk-backed Restore Britain party launches with hard-right vision". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  54. ^ Payne, Sebastian (19 February 2026). "Why this right-wing one-man band could rattle Reform". The Times. Archived from the original on 19 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  55. ^ Donaldson, Kitty (3 May 2026). "Farage is under threat from an ultra right-wing rival. This town is the battleground". The i Paper. Archived from the original on 4 May 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  56. ^ a b "Meet the political movement that's too right-wing for Nigel Farage". POLITICO. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  57. ^ a b c "'Get Your Country Back'". National Review. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  58. ^ Morrison, Hamish (17 February 2026). "GB News pundits credited in Rupert Lowe's 'mass deportation' paper for Restore Britain". The National. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  59. ^ Mosbacher, Michael (17 February 2026). "Rupert Lowe's dog-whistling proves his new party is unfit for office". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  60. ^ Lownie, Rob (19 February 2026). "Rupert Lowe's Powellite revolution". UnHerd. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  61. ^ "Rupert Lowe - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2026.