Restore Britain FAQ

Restore Britain is a UK political party led by Rupert Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, and based in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It launched on 30 June 2025 as a non-party membership movement, became a political party on 13 February 2026 and was registered with the Electoral Commission on 20 March 2026. On its official join page the party says it is for people who believe in "low tax, small government, secure borders, national pride, traditional Christian principles, free speech, and direct democracy". Its programme is set out in ten Objectives (opens in a new tab) and a series of policy papers (opens in a new tab), which our policy guide summarises.

Yes. Restore Britain was entered on the Electoral Commission's Great Britain register of political parties on 20 March 2026, under registration number PP18382 (opens in a new tab). That lets it stand candidates under its own name in England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has a separate register. The party had announced that it was becoming a political party on 13 February 2026, having started as a non-party movement on 30 June 2025.

They are separate, independent parties with different leaders, members and programmes. Restore Britain's founder, Rupert Lowe, was elected as a Reform UK MP in 2024, was suspended by Reform in March 2025 and launched Restore Britain in June 2025. Restore Britain's own programme includes net-negative immigration, abolishing the asylum system in its current form and a binding referendum on the death penalty, and several councillors have moved to it from Reform UK. In August 2026 Lowe offered Nigel Farage an electoral alliance on five conditions, including deporting every illegal migrant and a death-penalty referendum (Euronews (opens in a new tab)).

Great Yarmouth First (opens in a new tab) is a local party for the Great Yarmouth area, founded in December 2025 with Rupert Lowe as chairman, and it acts as Restore Britain's local affiliate. Restore Britain sat out the May 2026 local elections everywhere except Great Yarmouth, where Great Yarmouth First stood instead; Lowe described it as a testing ground for future Restore Britain candidates. On 7 May 2026 it won all 10 seats it contested, nine Norfolk County Council divisions and a borough council by-election (Great Yarmouth Mercury (opens in a new tab)).

Elon Musk has publicly backed the party. Around 14 February 2026, the day after Restore Britain became a party, he urged his followers on X to "Join Rupert Lowe in Restore Britain" (post on X (opens in a new tab)). He had praised Lowe before: in January 2025, while Lowe was still a Reform UK MP, Musk said Nigel Farage should step down as Reform leader and praised Lowe.

Membership is handled by the party itself, on the official join page (opens in a new tab); this site cannot sign you up or take payments. Standard membership costs £20 a year. People who live outside the UK can apply, but under the party's constitution only UK-resident members vote in member ballots, and the party says it may decline any application. Our joining guide explains the options.

Standard membership of Restore Britain costs £20, paid annually, according to the official join page (opens in a new tab). The Cromwell Club, for major donors, costs from £2,500 a year. Prices are set by the party and can change, so check the official page before you join.

The Times reported on 16 June 2026 that Restore Britain had about 130,000 paying members. Earlier figures came from the party itself: Rupert Lowe said membership passed 50,000 on 16 February 2026, three days after the party launched, and passed 100,000 on 28 February. Figures that come only from the party have not been independently verified. The timeline lists each milestone with its source.

The Cromwell Club is Restore Britain's tier for major donors, joined with an annual donation of £2,500 or more through the official Cromwell Club page (opens in a new tab). The party says it is "designed to bring together individuals who are committed to restoring Britain", and lists an annual members' dinner in London and access to exclusive events during the year. As with any donation over £500, you must be on a UK electoral register to give.

Donations go through the party's official donate page (opens in a new tab); this site does not collect money for the party. Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, you must be on a UK electoral register (not the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) to give more than £500. The party must report donations of more than £11,180 in a calendar year to the Electoral Commission, which publishes the donor's name and the amount.

Restore Britain sets out its programme as ten Objectives (opens in a new tab): Reverse Mass Immigration; Reward the Nation's Grafters; Put British Interests First; Rebuild Britain's Industry, Infrastructure and Energy Security; Restore Britain's Social and Cultural Foundations; Make Britain Safe Again; Restore the National Health Service; Restore Civil Liberties; Restore a Pro-British Education System; and Safeguard Election Integrity. It fills these out with policy papers (opens in a new tab), such as "The Wealth of Our Nation" economic plan (August 2026) and papers on energy, policing, self-defence and the British pub. Our policy guide summarises each area.

Not a general-election manifesto, as of 1 October 2026. The party sets out its programme as ten Objectives (opens in a new tab), published on 13 February 2026, and in policy papers (opens in a new tab), the twelfth of which appeared on 25 September 2026. The next general election must be held by 15 August 2029. Our policy guide summarises each area, with links to the party's own pages.

Restore Britain says it believes in direct democracy. When it launched as a movement in June 2025, its founding FAQ (opens in a new tab) said the leadership would put policies to members for ratification and that "every policy will be put to a vote by our members". The party's constitution (opens in a new tab), adopted on 20 March 2026 and released by the Electoral Commission, makes the leader "responsible for the political direction of the Party" and puts a National Board chaired by the leader in charge of running it; it refers to member ballots, in which only UK-resident members vote, but does not set out a procedure for policy votes. The party's published positions are its ten Objectives (opens in a new tab) and its policy papers (opens in a new tab).

Restore Britain's first objective is to "reverse mass immigration", and it proposes a "net negative immigration system" in which more people leave the UK each year than arrive. Its plans include deporting everyone in Britain illegally, abolishing the asylum system in its current form, withdrawing state benefits from foreign nationals, ending the benefits attached to Indefinite Leave to Remain, making British citizenship harder to obtain, and a "Red List" of countries whose nationals would face stricter security checks and visa limits. It also says legally resident foreign nationals who claim benefits, refuse to work or commit crimes would be deported. See our summary of its immigration and border policy.

Yes. The party says its research suggests up to 2 million people are in Britain illegally and that "every single one must be deported", through what it calls "the most ambitious programme of mass deportations ever seen in Britain", including removing legal obstacles such as human rights laws. People who arrive illegally would be held in basic tent-based facilities under mandatory detention until they are removed, with no bail into the community. Its October 2025 paper, "Mass Deportations: Legitimacy, Legality and Logistics", sets out the legal case and the practical plan. More on the mass deportation policy.

Restore Britain wants to "hold a binding referendum on restoring the death penalty", and argues that it is just to execute those guilty of the most heinous crimes. The pledge sits under its "Make Britain Safe Again" objective, alongside the return of widespread stop and search, strict sentences for carrying a knife, legal pepper spray and mandatory CCTV in taxis. A death-penalty referendum was also one of the five conditions Rupert Lowe set out for an alliance with Reform UK in August 2026. See the law and order policy.

Restore Britain would scrap the IR35 contractor rules, abolish inheritance tax and cut corporation tax to the lowest rate in Europe with a simple, flat system and tax holidays for new small businesses. It would also abolish business rates for small businesses and put a levy on remittances sent abroad. Its 64-page plan "The Wealth of Our Nation" (August 2026) proposes about £35bn a year of spending cuts to pay for tax cuts, including abolishing stamp duty. See the economy and tax policy.

Restore Britain would end state benefits for foreign nationals and cancel the benefits that come with Indefinite Leave to Remain. Able-bodied Britons on benefits would be required to work, for example picking litter, removing graffiti and clearing drains, and would lose their benefits if they refused. The party says it still wants "a robust social safety net that genuinely protects the nation's most vulnerable". See the welfare policy.

Restore Britain would repeal Net Zero goals and abolish the Climate Change Act 2008, arguing that energy should be "cheap, reliable, and scalable", from fossil fuels if necessary. It would lift the ban on new North Sea oil and gas exploration, re-examine shale gas and keep Britain's energy infrastructure out of foreign ownership. Its 42-page energy paper (May 2026) also backs expanding nuclear power. See the energy policy.

Under its objective "Restore the National Health Service", the party says the NHS must serve the British people as its first priority. It would remove the caps on medical school places so more British students can train as doctors, give NHS staff, patients and visitors free parking on permits, and recruit only ultra-high-skilled migrants to work in the health service. See the NHS policy.

Restore Britain would repeal the Online Safety Act, bar state-directed takedowns of legal speech and put Britain's free speech traditions on a statutory footing, so that lawful expression cannot be criminalised or censored by the state or by platforms. It would also repeal existing laws it says restrict free speech. The same objective, "Restore Civil Liberties", opposes compulsory digital ID and would quash convictions for non-violent breaches of lockdown rules. See the free speech policy.

Restore Britain would legalise pepper spray for self-defence and give law-abiding people the full legal right to use reasonable force, including lethal force if necessary, to protect their home, family and property from intruders, reaffirming the "castle doctrine". Its February 2026 paper "Retaking the English Castle" also proposes protecting householders who defend their homes and keeping juries in self-defence cases. See the self-defence policy.

Restore Britain would end fines for term-time holidays, letting families take up to five school days a year, and would fund young people to take up apprenticeships. It wants universities to be "openly pro-British" and would shut courses it says teach students to hate their own culture. In September 2026 it proposed abolishing past and future student loan interest for British citizens living in the UK. See the education policy.

Under its objective "Safeguard Election Integrity", Restore Britain would abolish postal voting on demand, keeping it only for people who are housebound or abroad on official duties such as military or diplomatic service. No foreign national, including Commonwealth citizens, would be allowed to vote or stand in any British election. It would also launch a full review of past allegations of postal vote fraud. See the elections and democracy policy.

Restore Britain would end the BBC's public funding and turn it into a subscription service. The pledge is part of its objective on Britain's social and cultural foundations. See the media and institutions policy.

Under its objective "Put British Interests First", Restore Britain says the interests of the British people would decide everything "from military aid to the deployment of our armed forces". It would scrap all foreign aid that does not advance Britain's national interests, "rebuild and rearm Britain", and abolish diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes across government, including in the armed forces. See the foreign policy summary.

Not under its own name, as of 5 October 2026. On 1 April 2026 Rupert Lowe said the party would not stand in that May's local elections except in Great Yarmouth, through its local affiliate Great Yarmouth First, which won all 10 seats it contested on 7 May 2026. Its first parliamentary contest was the Makerfield by-election (opens in a new tab) on 18 June 2026, where it won 3,111 votes (6.8%) and finished 3rd of 14. In the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election (opens in a new tab) on 30 July 2026, it won 46,289 first-preference votes (8.7%), finishing 4th of 7. The party also contested council by-elections on 1 October; our October election results and nominations guide covers those results and the next confirmed contests.

Restore Britain has one MP, its leader Rupert Lowe (Great Yarmouth), and 39 councillors (with Great Yarmouth First), according to Open Council Data UK's count as of 5 October 2026. That is 29 Restore Britain seats and 11 Great Yarmouth First seats, held by 39 people: Jon Wedon serves on both Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Norfolk County Council. Most of its councillors joined after being elected under other banners, starting with Maria Bowtell of East Riding of Yorkshire Council on 15 February 2026 and seven Kent County Council members two days later. The timeline records these moves with their sources.

PollCheck (opens in a new tab)'s moving average of polls that name Restore Britain put the party on 4.3% on 3 October 2026. A 7-poll moving average of polls that name Restore Britain as an option, which PollCheck says are mainly More in Common’s and Survation’s. Not every pollster prompts for the party by name. In the latest published regular polls checked on 5 October, YouGov (opens in a new tab) recorded 3% in fieldwork on 27–28 September (2,310 GB adults), while More in Common (opens in a new tab) recorded 6% on 25–29 September (2,041 GB adults). Neither was commissioned by Restore Britain. Two independent MRP models published in September differed on Great Yarmouth: More in Common's put the party on 3% nationally and projected a narrow win there, while YouGov's projected Reform UK to take the seat. An MRP that Restore Britain commissioned from Electoral Calculus / Find Out Now, published on 24 September 2026, put it on 7% (details (opens in a new tab)). These are polling snapshots, not predictions of the next election. Trends and sources are on The Numbers and in our polling guide.

That is the plan. When Restore Britain became a party on 13 February 2026, Rupert Lowe pledged hundreds of candidates at the next general election, which is due by 2029. The party's constitution (opens in a new tab) says it intends to contest UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Senedd and local council elections across Great Britain, with candidates appointed by its National Board after an interview and selection process.

Rupert Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, founded Restore Britain and leads it. Under the party's constitution (opens in a new tab) the leader is elected by members from among the party's MPs for a five-year term, is "responsible for the political direction of the Party" and chairs the National Board that manages its affairs. The board includes the party treasurer, Liam Porter. More on our Rupert Lowe page.

Rupert Lowe, born in 1957, is a businessman and politician. He chaired Southampton Football Club from 1996 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2009, and was a Brexit Party MEP for the West Midlands from 2019 to 2020. He was elected MP for Great Yarmouth for Reform UK on 4 July 2024, was suspended by Reform in March 2025 and sat as an independent, founding Restore Britain as a movement in June 2025 and becoming its MP when it registered as a party in March 2026. See our profile of Rupert Lowe.

In early March 2025, days after Lowe criticised Reform UK's leadership in a newspaper interview, Reform suspended him and reported allegations that he had verbally threatened the party chairman, Zia Yusuf, to the police. Lowe denied the allegations as "false and vexatious", and in May 2025 the Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. He sat as an independent MP and launched Restore Britain on 30 June 2025.

No. RestoreBritain.vote is an unofficial, independent supporter site; it is not run, endorsed or approved by Restore Britain. The party's official website is restorebritain.org.uk (opens in a new tab), which is the place for official statements, membership and donations.

Independent supporters of Restore Britain run this site, with no connection to the party organisation. It has no shop, accounts or analytics, and it takes no membership fees or donations: every Join and Donate link goes to the party's official site. See About this site for how it is written and checked.

Every figure on the site is shown with its source and the date it applies to. Facts about the party, such as membership, councillors and polling, come from the Electoral Commission, news reports, Wikipedia, Open Council Data UK and pollsters, and were last reviewed on 5 October 2026; figures that come only from the party are labelled as party claims. The official statistics on The Numbers come from the ONS, the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, and policy summaries are based on the party's own objectives and policy papers.

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