Reform, Reclaim, Restore: Keeping up with the UK's right-wing parties

Former Reform MP Rupert Lowe has launched a new party to challenge Nigel Farage’s Reform UK(Picture: PA/EPA)

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Last Friday,we saw the official launch of a whole new political party: Restore Britain.

What do you mean,the official launch? Haven’t they been leading the polls for more than a year?

No,you’re thinking of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

Ah,OK. So tell me about this new Reclaim Party.

No,it’s not Reclaim – that’s the right-wing populist party led by the former actor Laurence Fox.

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Metro's senior politics reporter Craig Munro breaks down all the chaos into easy to follow insight,in Metro's politics newsletter Alright,Gov? Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here.This is Restore,which is the right-wing populist party led by the former Southampton FC owner Rupert Lowe.Rupert Lowe was elected as an MP for the first time in 2024(Picture: Ashley Western/Colorsport/Shutterstock)And again,neither should be confused with Reform,the right-wing populist party led by former banker Nigel Farage.While we’re at it,we are also not talking about the less well-known pro-EU Renew Party or anti-EU Referendum Party.Right – great. I think I’ve got it. So tell me about Reform.Restore!Sorry,Restore. Tell me about Restore.You may remember Rupert Lowe from his brief stint at the top of the news agenda around a year ago.While he was a Reform MP,Lowe gave a newspaper interview where he suggested Nigel Farage was acting like a ‘Messiah’ at the head of the party.The following day,he was suspended from the party amid a police investigation into allegations of verbal threats against then-chairman Zia Yusuf. (The Crown Prosecution Service announced in May he would not be charged.)It was the closest Reform has yet come to a civil war,but everything seemed to fizzle out before long.If you’re not online,you might be forgiven for thinking Lowe faded into the background a bit as an independent MP.But if you’re active on X,you may have noticed his anti-immigrant views getting amplified by site owner Elon Musk – with the result that he’s now one of the most-followed UK politicians on there.The Great Yarmouth MP’s follower count is considerably higher than those of far more influential figures,including Rachel Reeves,Wes Streeting,Yvette Cooper and Kemi Badenoch.X owner Elon Musk has shared Lowe’s posts on a number of occasions. (Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty)Wielding that (virtual) momentum,he announced the launch of Restore Britain as a political organisation in June last year,and on February 13 he confirmed it was officially becoming a party.What’s their whole deal?In his video launching the new party – retweeted almost 45,000 times – Lowe stood on a farm and told viewers he wanted to ‘crush parasitic Britain’ over some sad piano music.The actual policy he presented was largely quite vague: deporting people in the UK illegally; tackling those who game the welfare system; and slashing unnecessary regulation. You’ll find similar lines in almost every major party manifesto.Towards the end,though,he dives into specific measures aimed at non-Christians: banning the burqa,outlawing Sharia,and stopping halal and kosher slaughter in the UK.He’s also said he wants a referendum on bringing back the death penalty.How are things looking so far?Lowe might not be thrilled by a new poll which suggests only 8% of the public can recognise him from a picture – which is somehow down from 14% last March.Ouch. Those numbers might need a boost if he’s going to win big with Reclaim.You mean Reform.No,I mean Reunite.That’s not even a party!You’re right,my bad. Restore. It’s definitely Restore.Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].