Rupert Lowe tells Nigel Farage to work with Restore Britain

Rupert Lowe has urged Nigel Farage to put their past disagreements aside as he calls for Reform UK and Restore Britain to work together.

The former Reform UK MP, who has since started his own Restore party, made a peace offering to Mr Farage on Sunday despite a series of public rows between the pair in recent months.

The party – which until now has largely been based in Lowe’s constituency Great Yarmouth – is further to the right than Reform on issues such as immigration.

It has also enjoyed support from tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has publicly backed Restore Britain a number of times on his X platform.

In a video posts to X over the weekend, Mr Lowe said that he was willing to put his differences with Mr Farage aside and have their parties work together if Reform UK took on some of Restore’s policies, such as a ban on the burqa and Halal meat and a referendum on the death penalty.

He also said Mr Farage would have to commit to not having any former Conservative ministers, such as Tory defectors Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, in any future Cabinet.

“I truly believe there could be sufficient common ground for our two movements to co-operate collectively (to) destroy the looming left-wing alliance that will finish off what hope remains for this country.

“We have recently shown how effectively co-operation can work locally on the Norfolk County Council, so why not at national level?” Mr Lowe said in a video posted on X.

The olive branch comes days after Mr Lowe’s party claimed fourth place in the Greater Manchester mayoral by election, gaining 8.7 per cent of the vote while Reform came second with 21 per cent.

The Reform UK leader appeared to give a lukewarm response in his own social media post, saying there will “always be a home in Reform UK” for those who reject the two main parties and think the country needs a “fundamentally different direction”.

“I understand Reform UK will need the support of people from other parties, as well as millions who have never voted before,” he wrote in a post on X. “That is the broad coalition I am building.”

However, he added that “only one party truly has the possibility of delivering change”.

Restore Britain was founded by Mr Lowe after he was suspended from Reform UK last year, amid claims he had threatened then-party chairman Zia Yusuf.

He denied the allegations and the Crown Prosecution Service said no criminal charges would be brought against him in relation to alleged threats towards Mr Yusuf.