The field of mainline British politics has become more crowded, as populist-nationalist independent MP Rupert Lowe announced the formation of his new party, Restore Britain, in an apparent challenge to Nigel Farage’s similarly named Reform UK.
Rupert Lowe, who was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Great Yarmouth in 2024 for Farage’s Reform UK party before being ousted last year, said on Saturday: “Britain does not need tinkering minor reform around the edges. Not carefully curated cosmetic changes, just this time with the same failed ministers wearing a turquoise rosette.
“It needs restoration, full-scale restoration. A restoration of courage, a restoration of responsibility, a restoration of a political culture that exists to serve the public, not simply protect itself.”
The announcement that he would turn his Restore Britain political movement into a fully-fledged political party comes on the back of his independent inquiry into the grooming gang scandal, which Mr Lowe described as the “Rape of Britain”.
The former City of London financier said that his party plans on launching private prosecutions against the rapists themselves, mostly Pakistani Muslims, and those who enabled the abuse of mostly white working-class girls. Lowe said that the inquiry is drawing up a “target list” of “rapists, police officers, social workers, council officials, politicians, and NHS employees,” involved in the scandal for private prosecutions.
The Great Yarmouth lawmaker also vowed to take a hardline approach to immigration, describing plans by Reform UK to reduce immigration to “net zero” as insufficient and “weak”.
“It is too late. The barbarians are already in the gates. For the foreseeable future, far more people must leave Britain than arrive. A country simply cannot survive without shared expectations and a shared culture,” Lowe said, adding: “I make no apologies for this for saying this; Millions must go.”
Similar to Reform, the Restore chief vowed to cut off welfare benefits to foreign nationals, saying, “If you are a guest in our country, you will support yourself. If you cannot do that, then you must leave.”
Lowe also addressed the cultural aspects of mass migration, declaring that a Restore government would seek to protect the Christian heritage of Britain and “end the creeping Islamification” of the country. He said that his party would ban Halal and Kosher slaughter in the UK, prohibit the wearing of the Islamic burqa, and outlaw the use of so-called Sharia courts.
“Britain is a Christian country, and under a Restore Britain government, it will remain a Christian country,” he said.
The announcement from Lowe won immediate plaudits from the online right in Britain, many of whom have become disaffected from Reform UK and Nigel Farage over perceived weakness on issues such as demographics, which the Brexit boss and his chief deputies have taken a more liberal line on, previously arguing that culture should be the main concern rather than ancestry.
However, some have raised concerns that Lowe’s party will merely divide the right-wing populist vote and ensure that a left-wing government emerges after the next general election. Supporters have argued that a muscular nationalist approach is needed to convince disaffected voters to turn out to the ballot box.
According to a snap survey from the Find Out Now pollster, Restore Britain would win 10 per cent of the vote, compared to 25 per cent for Farage’s Reform UK. Meanwhile, the Green Party would win 20 per cent and the Labour Party 15 per cent, potentially setting up a scenario in which either the Tories or Lib Dems can act as kingmakers in a coalition government.
The division on the right emerged last year after Lowe was accused of seeking to take over the Reform party in the wake of the Great Yarmouth MP publicly criticising his then-boss in the press, describing Farage as a “messianic” figure leading a “protest party” rather than a tight political operation.
Tensions further erupted after then-Reform chairman Zia Yusuf reported Lowe to the police over alleged physical threats. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that there was “insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction” against Lowe, who denied the allegations.
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