No. Restore Britain declined to contest the by-election Nigel Farage triggered by resigning Clacton on 7 July 2026, saying it intends to contest the anticipated second, definitive by-election once the standards inquiry into Farage concludes.Source: event

What is Restore Britain and how did it do in the 2026 local elections?

Restore Britain is a UK political party founded by Rupert Lowe in February 2026. Its affiliate Great Yarmouth First won 9 seats on Norfolk County Council on 7 May 2026 in a hung result where Reform UK fell three seats short of a majority.Source: Lowdown

How is Restore Britain doing in national polls?

Restore Britain entered the YouGov Westminster voting intention tracker at 4% on 4-5 May 2026, its first appearance in mainstream national polling.Source: event

Background

Restore Britain is a UK political party launched by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe on 13 February 2026, following his expulsion from the Reform UK parliamentary group after a dispute with Nigel Farage. The party chose a deliberate proof-of-concept strategy for its 2026 debut: contesting candidates only in the Great Yarmouth area, fielding 13 activists under the affiliated Great Yarmouth First banner (registered 4 March 2026) rather than as a national slate.

By 4-5 May 2026, Restore Britain entered the YouGov Westminster voting intention tracker at 4%, its first appearance in mainstream national polling. On 7 May, Great Yarmouth First took 9 seats on Norfolk County Council, giving the party its first elected presence. Norfolk returned a hung council with Reform UK winning 40 of 84 seats, meaning no two-party combination including Reform reached a majority, a result in which Restore Britain's 9 seats held balance of power implications. Separately, seven Kent councillors defected to Restore Britain on launch, making it Kent's third largest group through Reform defections.

Restore Britain occupies an unusual niche: the profile of a named national politician with the organisational footprint of a local campaign. On 7 July 2026 the party declined to contest the Clacton by-election Nigel Farage triggered by resigning his seat, joining every other major party in staying out while signalling it intends to contest the anticipated second, definitive by-election once the parliamentary standards inquiry into Farage concludes. Its 2026 results remain its only evidence base, with 2028 signalled as the target for a broader national challenge.