Restore Britain
UK political party founded by Rupert Lowe in February 2026 to the right of Reform UK.
Restore Britain had candidates in its first autumn council by-elections on 1 October 2026, in Northumberland's Hirst and Amble wards, after four Reform UK councillors in Plymouth, Dudley and Gloucestershire moved to the party in September.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Restore Britain convert its 2026 local foothold into a 2028 Westminster challenge?
Timeline for Restore Britain
Stood in its first council by-elections of the window and gained four Reform councillors
UK Local Elections 2026: Labour takes Hirst and Amble from ReformMentioned in: Holborn's by-election puts 15 on the ballot
UK Local Elections 2026Accepted a single £250,000 gift
UK Local Elections 2026: Delo's £4m arrived as cash, not cryptoFinished fourth in Dover
UK Local Elections 2026: Mentioned in: Greens take Dover ward on 28.8%Mentioned in: Farage wins Clacton back by 12,784 votes
UK Local Elections 2026Background
Restore Britain is a UK political party launched by Rupert Lowe, the former Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth, on 13 February 2026, after his expulsion from Reform's parliamentary group following a dispute with Nigel Farage. It stands to the right of Reform UK and is a separate party from it.
The party chose a narrow first campaign, standing in May 2026 only around Great Yarmouth under the affiliated Great Yarmouth First banner rather than fielding a national slate. It declined to stand in the Clacton by-election of 13 August, alongside Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.
Its council presence has grown mainly through defections from sitting councillors. On the funding side, Cade Hill Investments Ltd gave it £250,000, accepted on 30 April 2026, the party's first six-figure gift on the Electoral Commission register.
Restore Britain starts contesting by-elections
Restore Britain's first test against named candidates came in Makerfield. A Survation poll taken from 18 to 22 May put its candidate on 7%, above the party's 4% national average, in the by-election Andy Burnham went on to win on 18 June.
On 1 October, the party appeared on the ballot in two Northumberland County Council by-elections, Hirst and Amble, among the first council contests of the autumn to include it. Labour gained both seats from Reform UK. The party's council group also grew in September, when four Reform councillors in Plymouth, Dudley and Gloucestershire crossed to Restore Britain.
Restore Britain begins in Great Yarmouth
Rupert Lowe launched Restore Britain on 13 February 2026 and limited its May local election slate to the Great Yarmouth area, as a proof of concept ahead of 2028. Its partner group, Great Yarmouth First, registered on 4 March, and seven Kent councillors had already defected to the party.
The party entered YouGov's Westminster voting-intention tracker at 4% in fieldwork on 4 and 5 May 2026, its first appearance at that level. Great Yarmouth First went on to win nine seats on Norfolk County Council, which no party controlled after the 7 May count.