Rupert Lowe Launches Far-Right Party in Great Yarmouth, Challenging Reform UK
On a frigid evening in a dilapidated theatre at the end of Great Yarmouth's Britannia Pier, former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe launched what he termed a far-right revolution. Addressing hundreds of supporters who responded with rapturous applause and foot stamping, Lowe pledged a policy of mass deportations, declaring "Millions will have to go." The event was billed as the launch of the local "Great Yarmouth First" party, but Lowe went further by announcing that his Restore Britain movement would become a national political force.
Electoral Battlefield and Potential Impact
In an electoral landscape already crowded with failed political startups, Lowe's new party currently represents little more than a minor irritation to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, from which he parted ways last year following a bitter falling out. However, political analysts warn that this new development could have significant consequences. Over the weekend, other parties and figures positioned to the right of Reform quickly rallied behind Lowe's initiative.
Advance UK, led by former Reform deputy leader Ben Habib and backed by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, announced it would consider a merger with Lowe's movement. Such a consolidation could potentially cost Reform UK several parliamentary seats by splitting support among voters drawn to hard-right anti-immigration populism. This fragmentation becomes particularly significant in the context of a wafer-thin general election result.
One seasoned Conservative strategist observed: "We've had a general election with a big Labour win but where many of their MPs secured victory with margins of around a thousand votes. Small challengers on the right could disrupt Reform's attempts to build on their recent successes." The strategist noted the increased number of marginal seats in 2024, including 46 constituencies won with a margin of less than 2%.
Social Media Amplification and Influencer Support
While Reform UK has invested heavily in social media presence, both Habib and Lowe maintain significant followings on platform X, where their messages have been amplified by billionaire Elon Musk. Musk, who funded Tommy Robinson's legal bills last year and has expressed disapproval of Nigel Farage in favor of Lowe, retweeted the former Reform MP on Saturday with the endorsement: "Join Rupert Lowe in Restore Britain, because he is the only one who will actually do it!"
A cohort of young right-wing influencers promoting an exclusive, ethnically nationalistic view of British identity has flocked to Lowe, who had already developed cult appeal among many Reform members. Among those attending the Great Yarmouth event was activist Lucy White, a sometime GB News contributor who has faced accusations of posting racist tweets. Prominent activist and "ethnonationalist" influencer Steve Laws tweeted unequivocally: "Rupert Lowe is our leader. GET IN LINE."
Other notable figures including millionaire businessman Duncan Bannatyne and actor John Cleese have also signaled approval of Lowe's political direction.
Advance UK's Street-Level Strategy
Meanwhile, Advance UK has cultivated a street protest approach to political engagement. Large numbers of the party's flags—in some cases distributed to people unaware of the group's identity—were prominently displayed among thousands of protesters who marched through Crowborough last month. The demonstration opposed the use of a former military base to house asylum seekers.
Ben Habib explained his party's positioning ahead of Advance UK's first policy launch at Westminster's Emmanuel Centre, a venue operated by an evangelical church: "Reform are vacating the part of the political spectrum on which it was founded. We're the old Reform, and Reform is becoming the Tories 2.0." The former Brexit Party MEP revealed he has personally invested £100,000 in the party, with an additional £600,000 raised from other sources.
"We have people joining us because they're fed up with the way Reform is run, or because they have an ideological conviction and see Farage changing the message," Habib continued. "Our original Reform manifesto rejected the World Economic Forum, yet there was Farage taking an Iranian billionaire's money to attend Davos."
Upcoming Electoral Tests and Organizational Structure
An early indication of Advance UK's potential will emerge later this month in the Gorton and Denton byelection, where the party is fielding Nick Buckley as their candidate. Buckley received an MBE for his charity work but has since become known for his extreme language regarding race and Islam.
Lowe's Restore Britain movement has adopted a decentralized organizational structure that contrasts sharply with the top-down approach of Farage's Reform UK. The newly launched Great Yarmouth First party aims to win all nine borough seats whenever postponed county council elections occur. This local effort will serve as a pilot project for Restore Britain, which intends to function as an umbrella organization for similar initiatives nationwide.
Since separating from Reform, Lowe has demonstrated a notable ability to attract attention. A self-styled "inquiry" he established into grooming gangs scandal drew involvement from Conservative MPs including Nick Timothy, Esther McVey, and Gavin Williamson.
Great Yarmouth: A Strategic Battleground
In Great Yarmouth—one of England's coastal towns experiencing high levels of deprivation that Reform UK used as a springboard for its 2024 electoral breakthrough—a direct clash between Lowe and his former party looms at the next general election. Reform sources remain confident, stating: "We won it last time and we will win again."
Nevertheless, Lowe continues to serve as a rallying point for disaffected right-wing activists. Supporters traveled from as far away as Scotland to attend the Great Yarmouth event, including Maria Bowtell, an East Riding of Yorkshire councillor and single mother once regarded as a Reform rising star, who drove down with her young son.
"Reform used to stand for something hopeful, but it's clear they won't really change anything," Bowtell explained. "Plus people like me just weren't supported. I went on Woman's Hour and was hung out to dry. I'm attracted now to the idea of independents getting together."
The emergence of these competing far-right factions creates a complex political landscape that could significantly impact election outcomes, particularly in marginal constituencies where small vote shifts determine victory or defeat.
