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Rupert Lowe
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Rupert Lowe

Former Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth who launched Restore Britain after expulsion by Farage in 2026.

Restore Britain's boycott of the Clacton by-election held when nominations for the 13 August contest closed on 17 July 2026 with a record 34 candidates and none from Lowe's party.

Last refreshed: 3 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Can Lowe build a durable party without Farage's institutional machine behind him?

Timeline for Rupert Lowe

#14 30 Jul

Craig wins Manchester in its first second round

UK Local Elections 2026
#13 17 Jul

Kept Restore Britain out of the contest

UK Local Elections 2026: Clacton draws a record 34 candidates
#11 7 Jul

Called the contest a 'Reform-sponsored media circus' while confirming a boycott

UK Local Elections 2026: Every party but Binface boycotts Farage
#7 7 May

Mentioned in: Norfolk hung: Reform 40 of 84 seats

UK Local Elections 2026
#6 5 May

Led Restore Britain to its first 4% entry in the YouGov Westminster polling tracker

UK Local Elections 2026: Restore Britain enters tracker at 4% nationally
View full timeline →
Follow UK Local Elections 2026 →

Background

Rupert Lowe is a businessman and politician best known as former chairman of Southampton Football Club and as a corporate turnaround executive. Elected Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth at the 2024 general election, he was expelled from the Reform parliamentary group after a public dispute with Nigel Farage over party governance, and now sits as an independent MP.

Lowe launched Restore Britain as an independent populist-right party on 13 February 2026. For the May 2026 local elections it contested candidates only in the Great Yarmouth area, through affiliated group Great Yarmouth First, as a proof-of-concept aimed at 2028 rather than an immediate national push. By early May it had entered the YouGov Westminster tracker at 4%, its first mainstream polling appearance.

The party continues to test whether the populist right can generate capital independent of Farage's institutional machine, a question its Clacton strategy puts to a live test.

Key Issues
Clacton strategy

Restore Britain sits out Clacton

Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe's party, was one of five major parties to boycott the Clacton by-election Nigel Farage triggered on 7 July 2026, when leaders called it a stunt designed to serve Farage rather than voters.

When nominations closed on 17 July with a record 34 candidates, Restore Britain remained absent, alongside Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens; only satirical candidate Count Binface stood against Farage. Lowe is positioning the party instead for a second, definitive contest once the parliamentary standards inquiry into Farage concludes, the test of whether Restore Britain can build support independent of his former leader's machine.

Common Questions

Reference

What party did Rupert Lowe start after leaving Reform UK?
Lowe launched Restore Britain on 13 February 2026. It contested candidates only in the Great Yarmouth area at the May 2026 local elections as a proof-of-concept ahead of a planned 2028 national challenge.Source: event
Who is Rupert Lowe and why did he leave Reform UK?
Rupert Lowe is the MP for Great Yarmouth elected in 2024 for Reform UK. He was expelled from the Reform parliamentary group following a public dispute with Nigel Farage over party governance.Source: event
Why did Rupert Lowe fall out with Nigel Farage?
Lowe publicly criticised Reform UK governance and Farage leadership, leading to his expulsion from the parliamentary group. The dispute was public and acrimonious.Source: Lowdown reporting
Who is Rupert Lowe?
Rupert Lowe is the Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth elected in 2024. He was expelled from Reform UK after a dispute with Nigel Farage and launched Restore Britain in February 2026.Source: Lowdown reporting
Is Rupert Lowe's party contesting the Clacton by-election?
No. Restore Britain confirmed its boycott held when nominations for the 13 August by-election closed on 17 July 2026 with a record 34 candidates and no Restore Britain candidate among them.Source: Lowdown reporting
Did Rupert Lowe's party win any seats in May 2026?
Its affiliate Great Yarmouth First won 9 seats on Norfolk County Council on 7 May 2026. Restore Britain also entered the YouGov Westminster tracker at 4%, its first national polling entry.Source: event
What is Rupert Lowe doing in the 2026 elections?
Lowe launched Restore Britain in February 2026 and is contesting candidates only in the Great Yarmouth area as a proof-of-concept, with 2028 as the target for a broader national challenge.Source: Lowdown reporting
Is Rupert Lowe still an MP?
Yes. Lowe was elected as Reform UK's MP for Great Yarmouth in 2024 and continues to sit in the House of Commons as an independent after his expulsion from the Reform parliamentary group.