Restore Britain and Reform UK both campaign to cut immigration and taxes, and Restore Britain's leader, Rupert Lowe, was elected to Parliament as a Reform MP. Wikipedia describes Restore Britain as positioned to the right of Reform UK.
This guide compares each party's published policies. Reform's are taken from its policy page as archived on 11 September 2026.
A shared history
Rupert Lowe won Great Yarmouth for Reform UK in July 2024. In March 2025 Reform suspended him after its chairman, Zia Yusuf, made allegations against him, which Lowe denied. The Crown Prosecution Service later said there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. Lowe launched Restore Britain in June 2025 (see Rupert Lowe).
Size and structure
- Organisation: Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is run through Reform UK Party Limited, a company limited by guarantee. Restore Britain, registered in March 2026, works with local partner parties such as Great Yarmouth First.
- Members: Reform had 268,000 members in December 2025, according to The Times, and its website now claims more than 270,000. Restore Britain has about 130,000 paying members (The Times, June 2026).
- Elected office: Reform is far larger; it won 40 seats on Norfolk County Council alone in May 2026. Restore Britain has one MP and, counting those of its partner party Great Yarmouth First, 39 councillors (Open Council Data UK, 2 October 2026).
Immigration: where they overlap
- Deporting illegal migrants. Reform's "Operation Restoring Justice" is a five-year programme to "identify, detain, and deport illegal migrants", with a UK Deportation Command and up to five deportation flights a day. Restore Britain says of illegal migrants that "every single one must be deported".
- Human rights law. Reform would leave the European Convention on Human Rights and repeal the Human Rights Act. Restore Britain would "remove all legal obstacles – such as easily-exploited 'human rights' laws".
- Indefinite Leave to Remain. Reform would abolish ILR, rescind existing awards and replace it with a five-year renewable visa. Restore Britain would end the benefits attached to ILR, including for people already here.
- Benefits. Reform says "only British nationals should receive welfare". Restore Britain would withdraw all state benefits from foreign nationals.
- Net negative immigration. Both parties use the phrase in their policies.
Immigration: where they differ
- Asylum. Reform would make anyone who enters illegally ineligible for asylum. Restore Britain would abolish the current asylum system "in its entirety".
- Legal residents. Restore Britain says legally resident foreign nationals who, among other things, cannot speak English, claim benefits, refuse to work or commit crime would be deported: "If that means millions go, then millions go." Reform's deportation plan targets illegal migrants and foreign offenders.
- The Channel. Reform's "Operation Fortress" would use the Royal Navy to intercept boats and return them to France or Belgium within its first 100 days.
See our immigration and mass deportation guides.
Economy and tax
- Personal allowance: Reform would raise it to £15,000, with a long-term aim of £20,000. Restore Britain would raise it to £16,000 and extend the basic-rate band to £100,000.
- Inheritance tax: Reform would reverse the recent changes affecting family farms and small businesses. Restore Britain would abolish the tax completely.
- VAT threshold: both would raise it to £150,000. Restore Britain would also cut the main rate to 18%.
- Business taxes: Reform would cut employer National Insurance from 15% to 13.8% and scrap tax on overtime above 40 hours a week for those earning under £75,000. Restore Britain would set a zero rate of corporation tax on the first £50,000 of profits and abolish stamp duty.
- Energy: both would scrap Net Zero. Reform promises £250 off household bills; Restore Britain would end all Net Zero-related public spending.
- Spending: Restore Britain would freeze working-age benefits and replace the pension triple lock with a CPI link. Reform says welfare reform, foreign aid cuts and civil service cuts would fund its plans.
Read our explainer on The Wealth of Our Nation.
Law and order
Both parties back more stop and search and the deportation of foreign offenders. Reform also proposes mandatory life sentences for child rapists and an end to early release for serious crimes.
Restore Britain proposes a binding referendum on restoring the death penalty and would legalise pepper spray for self-defence. See law and order.
Elections and religion
Restore Britain would abolish postal voting on demand and bar foreign nationals from voting or standing in any British election. Reform has published an Election Integrity Bill.
Lowe's August alliance conditions included bans on the burqa, halal and kosher slaughter, cousin marriage and Sharia courts. None of these appears among Reform's ten headline policies.
The alliance offer
- 2 August 2026: Lowe offered Farage an alliance on five conditions, including deporting every illegal migrant, the religious and cultural measures above, a death-penalty referendum and excluding "Former Conservative ministers who failed our country".
- 3 August: Farage said: "I said I'm open-minded to a conversation. A conversation is different to a negotiation." Lowe added: "The offer remains open to Nigel and Reform."
- 10 August: a Reform spokesperson ruled out any agreement while Restore co-founder Charlie Downes remained, after Reform accused Downes of antisemitism over a social media post. Lowe declined to remove Downes, saying he would not put "a young Christian man out of work".
- 12 August: Lowe wrote on X: "Reform UK has said that a pact with Restore Britain is off - that is their decision." He added: "If Reform want to discuss policy, not personality, then they know where to find me."
Head to head
- Makerfield by-election: Reform 34.5%, Restore Britain 6.8%.
- Greater Manchester mayoral by-election: Reform 21.0%, Restore Britain 8.7%.
- Norfolk County Council: Great Yarmouth First won nine divisions, with Reform second in eight of them.
A YouGov study published in July 2026 found that 90% of Restore Britain supporters named immigration as a top issue. Only 36% said they would consider voting Reform.
For the full story, see the timeline and What is Restore Britain?.
Sources
- Reform UK: Policies (archived 11 September 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- The Conversation: The most radical part of Reform's deportation plans, 29 August 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- Restore Britain: Immigration and border control (opens in a new tab)
- Restore Britain: Economy and taxation (opens in a new tab)
- Restore Britain: Law, order and criminal justice (opens in a new tab)
- Restore Britain: Election integrity (opens in a new tab)
- Restore Britain: The Wealth of Our Nation (opens in a new tab)
- Electoral Commission: registration PP18382 (opens in a new tab)
- Open Council Data UK: seats held by party, 2 October 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Euronews: Rupert Lowe offers alliance with Nigel Farage, 2 August 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- LBC: Lowe accuses Farage of lying but says the parties can still work together, 3 August 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Jewish News: Reform UK rules out deal with Restore Britain, 10 August 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- The Telegraph on X, 10 August 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Rupert Lowe on X, 12 August 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Restore Britain (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Rupert Lowe (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Reform UK (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Political party affiliation in the United Kingdom (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: 2026 Norfolk County Council election (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: 2026 Makerfield by-election (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: 2026 Greater Manchester mayoral by-election (opens in a new tab)
- YouGov: What do Restore Britain supporters see in the party?, 13 July 2026 (opens in a new tab)