Restore Britain’s Far-Right Surge and the Makerfield By-Election

Former Reform MP Rupert Lowe founded Restore Britain in February 2024 after creating the local party Great Yarmouth First, which won nine council seats in the May 2024 local elections. Restore’s platform calls for “mass deportations”, the abolition of the asylum system and the removal of all illegal immigrants, describing migrants as “invaders”. The party positions itself as a harder-line alternative to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which already campaigns on stricter immigration controls.

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• Rupert Lowe – multimillionaire, ex-Southampton FC chairman, founder of Restore Britain.

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• Martin Sellner – Austrian white-nationalist banned from the UK, publicly endorses Restore and urges European groups to emulate it.

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• Paul Golding – leader of Britain First, jailed in 2018 for harassment, calls Lowe a “friend and admirer” and pledges electoral cooperation.

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• Mark Collett – founder of Patriotic Alternative, warns Restore could hand Labour a victory but praises Lowe for shifting the Overton window.

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• Nigel Farage – leader of Reform UK, author of a Substack essay proposing bans on foreign nationals in social housing and the repeal of the Equality Act.

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• Andy Burnham – Labour candidate in the Makerfield by-election.

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The Makerfield parliamentary by-election, scheduled for Thursday, pits Labour’s Andy Burnham against Reform UK and Restore Britain candidates. Analysts suggest that Restore’s far-right backing may split the anti-Labour vote. Polls commissioned by More in Common/UCL show Labour at 45 %, Reform UK at 40 % and Restore at 8 %; a Convergence poll reports Labour 49 %, Reform UK 37 % and Restore 5 %. The contest follows Restore’s local success in Great Yarmouth and its recruitment of former Tory MP Scott Benton.

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• Great Yarmouth First secured nine council seats in May 2024.

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• Polls: Labour 45-49 %; Reform UK 37-40 %; Restore 5-8 %.

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• Restore’s policy document lists “abolishing the asylum system” and “removing every illegal immigrant” without explicit racial language, yet its terminology aligns with far-right “remigration” narratives.

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• Britain First, Patriotic Alternative and white-nationalist groups have publicly endorsed Restore.

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Lowe posted on X: “We are going to win. We are going to mass deport. We are going to get our country back.” Farage’s Substack essay declares that Reform UK will “ban foreign nationals from social housing” and “restore meritocracy”. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said, “I think he should take his nasty hate and anger and division somewhere else.” Shelter chief executive Sarah Elliott called Farage’s plan “racist and morally wrong”. Sid Venkataramakrishnan of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue noted that Restore’s rhetoric “echoes far-right language” and warned of a “gulf of expectation” between extremist hopes and party capacity.

The Guardian

The Mail on Sunday ran a front-page claim “Restore Activists at ‘White Supremacy Summit’” and warned “Anyone who really cares about Britain won’t vote Restore”. The Guardian described Restore as a “new home for neo-Nazis”. Mark Collett warned that Restore’s mass-deportation paper “legitimises everything ethno-nationalists have said post Second World War”. Venkataramakrishnan cautioned that current alliances may shift before future elections.

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If Restore siphons enough right-wing votes, Labour could win the Makerfield seat, illustrating how far-right mobilisation can reshape electoral outcomes. The episode also signals a broader fracturing of the UK right, with mainstream media grappling over endorsements and the normalization of extremist language in public discourse.

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Sources disagree on the magnitude of Restore’s electoral impact; some claim it could hand Labour victory, while others note uncertainty. Restore has not answered inquiries about its stance toward extremist supporters, leaving a gap in official clarification.

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• “The hype is real – and it’s not just working online,” — Martin Sellner, Austrian far-right activist

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• “We are going to win. We are going to mass deport. We are going to get our country back.” — Rupert Lowe, Restore Britain founder

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• “We’re all pushing in the direction of remigration, mass deportations and saving this country,” — Paul Golding, Britain First leader

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• “legitimises everything ethno-nationalists have said post Second World War” — Mark Collett, Patriotic Alternative founder

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• “I think he should take his nasty hate and anger and division somewhere else. Frankly, I’ve had enough of it, and I think a lot of us round our way have as well.” — Lisa Nandy, UK culture secretary

The Guardian

• “Thanks to the mass migration policies of Conservative and Labour governments, white Brits will become a minority in this country before the end of the century.” — Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader

The Guardian

The Makerfield by-election will be held on Thursday, after which analysts will assess whether Restore’s far-right support altered the result. Media scrutiny of Restore’s links to extremist groups is expected to intensify, and both Reform UK and Labour are likely to adjust campaign messaging in response to the emerging vote-splitting dynamics.

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