Rupert Lowe launches Restore Britain as national party after exit from Reform UK
Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe has formally converted Restore Britain from a political movement into a national party, unveiling the initiative on Friday night (ET). The move follows his suspension and subsequent departure from Reform UK and signals an attempt to build a right-leaning electoral vehicle that links local groups under a single banner.
From movement to national party
Lowe, a businessman, farmer and former chairman of Southampton FC who was elected as a Reform UK MP in July 2024 but now sits as an independent, initially set up Restore Britain after a fractious split with his former party. He said the organisation will operate as an umbrella party, partnering with locally based groups to contest elections while emphasising what he describes as independence of mind.
Under the new arrangement Lowe is expected to stand again in Great Yarmouth with the local group Great Yarmouth First as a partner of Restore Britain. He had hoped Great Yarmouth First would contest this year’s local elections, but those polls were cancelled, increasing the emphasis on future national and local contests as the next testing ground for his appeal.
The MP’s suspension from Reform UK last March followed allegations that he made threats of physical violence towards the party chairman. The Crown Prosecution Service later concluded there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and Lowe has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, calling the complaints vexatious while criticising his former party’s leadership.
Advisers depart and political positioning
When Restore Britain was operating as a movement, an advisory board included senior figures who were linked to the mainstream Conservative political scene. With the organisation now a formal party some of those figures have indicated they will step away from the project. Two prominent conservatives who had been involved with the advisory structure have signalled they will leave the board as the movement becomes a political party.
Lowe has a reputation among regional political commentators as a maverick MP who is not especially collegiate. He argues there is a real disconnect between mainstream politicians and the public, pointing to his home constituency as evidence. Private polling that has been shown to him and other campaign teams suggests he would perform strongly in Great Yarmouth if a general election were held now, an assessment that underpins his decision to contest the seat again under the Restore Britain umbrella.
Implications for the right and local politics
The launch adds another actor to a crowded right-of-centre landscape. Lowe believes there is room for a fresh party that markets itself on independence from existing leaderships and a focus on localism. By organising as an umbrella, Restore Britain aims to recruit and federate local groups while offering them a national identity and campaign infrastructure.
How much national traction the new party can secure remains uncertain. Its initial profile will depend on Lowe’s ability to translate local support into a broader coalition of partner organisations and on whether disaffected Conservative and Reform-minded voters are willing to back a new banner. For Great Yarmouth the immediate test is whether the local partnership can consolidate support ahead of any future ballot and convert anecdotal and private polling strength into election results.
For now, Restore Britain’s formal launch sets out a clear next phase for Lowe: building a national presence from local bases, confronting the reputational baggage of his split with his former party, and attempting to position the new organisation as a distinctive voice on the right of British politics.
