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elections

Restore Britain in East Anglia: a Lowestoft Target, a South West Norfolk Candidate and a Great Yarmouth Defection

Three moves in nine days in East Anglia, where Rupert Lowe is MP for Great Yarmouth: a 'Tier One' target seat, a borough councillor's switch and a parliamentary candidate for South West Norfolk.

Published 4 min read

Between 23 September and 1 October 2026, Restore Britain made three moves in East Anglia, where Rupert Lowe is MP for Great Yarmouth. It named Lowestoft its first 'Tier One' target seat, gained a Great Yarmouth borough councillor, and announced a candidate for South West Norfolk.

Lowestoft: the first 'Tier One' target seat

On 23 September Lowe wrote on X: "I am delighted to announce Restore Britain's first 'Tier One' target seat. Lowestoft. A neighbouring constituency to Great Yarmouth, the men and women of Lowestoft have seen what we are achieving there and want genuine patriotic representation for themselves." The party said its candidate for the seat would be announced in due course.

Lowestoft, in Suffolk, is held by Labour's Jess Asato, who won it at the 2024 general election with a majority of 2,016.

Great Yarmouth: the deputy mayor switches

James Bensly, borough councillor for East Flegg ward and deputy mayor of Great Yarmouth for 2026/27, has left the Conservatives and joined Great Yarmouth First and Restore Britain. The borough council's records list him as a Conservative until 25 September and as Great Yarmouth First from 26 September 2026. The Great Yarmouth Mercury reported the move on 27 September and the BBC on 28 September.

Great Yarmouth First, the local party Rupert Lowe chairs, and Restore Britain are registered separately with the Electoral Commission. They share an approved joint description, "Restore Britain – Great Yarmouth First".

In a statement quoted by the BBC, Bensly said: "This is not a decision I have taken lightly, nor is it about pretending that we will agree on every issue." Lowe called the move "a massive boost" and, according to the Mercury, said Bensly would stand in his ward next May.

The switch leaves the 39-seat borough council with 18 Labour, 17 Conservative, 2 Great Yarmouth First and 2 Independent councillors. Labour is now the largest group, but the Conservatives still run the council, which has had no overall control since 2023. Bensly no longer sits on Norfolk County Council: in May 2026 he finished third in The Fleggs division, which Great Yarmouth First won. See Great Yarmouth First's May 2026 results.

South West Norfolk: Stuart Pembery

On 1 October the party announced Stuart Pembery as its prospective parliamentary candidate for South West Norfolk at the next general election, which must be held by 15 August 2029. Pembery has been a member of Stoke Ferry Parish Council since January 2026 and its vice-chair since May. The party describes him as a local resident with more than 20 years in technology and organisational leadership. The Eastern Daily Press reported that he is the first prospective parliamentary candidate Restore Britain has announced in Norfolk.

The party said its campaign would centre on the Home Office's plan to house asylum seekers at RAF Barnham, on the edge of Thetford just over the county border in Suffolk. The Home Office says no final decision has been taken. It has published no figure for the site; it said the three former military sites under consideration could together house around 3,750 people. Suffolk County Council's leader and several news reports have put Barnham's capacity at up to 1,250 men.

As quoted by Lynn News, Pembery said: "I live here, my family is here, and I have watched this community deal with decisions made by people who have never set foot in it."

South West Norfolk's Labour MP, Terry Jermy, who has opposed the Barnham plan since it was announced, said in a response carried by Lynn News: "Restore will quickly discover that they need to develop a more comprehensive policy platform than what they have outlined."

Jermy took the seat from the Conservatives' Liz Truss at the 2024 general election by 630 votes:

  • Terry Jermy (Labour): 11,847 (26.7%), elected
  • Liz Truss (Conservative): 11,217 (25.3%)
  • Tobias McKenzie (Reform UK): 9,958 (22.5%)
  • James Bagge (Independent): 6,282 (14.2%)
  • Five other candidates: 5,031 between them

What the constituency models show

Independent MRP models, which estimate results seat by seat from large national samples, put Reform UK ahead in both seats. YouGov's model, published on 24 September, has Restore Britain on 7% in Lowestoft and 5% in South West Norfolk. More in Common's, published on 26 September, has it on 5.6% and 8.2%. These are modelled estimates, not constituency polls. For the national picture see Restore Britain in the polls.

Sources

Topics
  • elections
  • norfolk
  • suffolk
  • candidates

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