Politics
Reform and Restore activists kick off in Makerfield
TikTok user Carl Fairhurst has recorded an agitated encounter between Reform UK and Restore Britain. It’s yet more evidence the two parties are very, very upset with one another.
Restore and Reform are beefing in Makerfield. pic.twitter.com/Z94a0CYm01
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) June 15, 2026
Let them fight
Restore is a Reform breakaway party which exists because the latter party wasn’t right-wing enough. In the video above, a Restore-branded Land Rover has pulled up in front of a Reform-branded bus. It’s hard to make out what’s going on, but men from each camp are yelling at one another.
At one point, a man wearing a ‘Restore Britain’ t-shirt says:
We’re Restore, mate. We’re Restore Britain.
Either he forgot he had the t-shirt on, or he assumed the guy filming couldn’t read. Either way, it’s not the best look.
One Farage fanboy responded by crying, saying that they’d been bullied:
This isn't the look that Restore thinks it is.
Bullying an ordinary bloke who is simply driving a Reform bus, is utterly embarrassing.pic.twitter.com/N9jCFWFv7z
— Ben Graham (@BenGrahamUK) June 15, 2026
Not sure this is the strongest argument, given that Reform is a ‘might-makes-right’ party.
We all know the Farage-led party can give it, so why can’t they take it?
Here's another example. Isabel Oakeshott complaining some Restore members are aggressive on social media. I had Nigel Farage's good friend Raheem Kassam taunting me about being glassed in the face a couple of weeks ago… https://t.co/N4rs0IcmB9
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) June 15, 2026
Breakaway
As Dan Hodges noted, it’s difficult for Reform to attack Restore, because Restore is just Reform on Berocca:
Something quite surreal about watching Reform's current strategy for dealing with Restore. "They're racists. They're going to split the vote. They only exist on social media. They're not a national party. They don't have serious policies". Identical to the attacks on Reform…
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) June 15, 2026
Honestly, it’s like watching I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter criticise butter.
Reform is trying to paint its rivals as an extremist far-right party:
I am absolutely disgusted by this Brendan!!! We sat for 45 mins talking. You have let me down. You promised me you would be fair and honest about our conversation. We had a lovely, open and honest discussion and shared practically the same views. We come from similar backgrounds…
— Orla Minihane (@orlaminihane) June 15, 2026
The problem with this line of attack is who is it for? Because the voters who want Reform/Restore style politics are going to see it and think: ‘Oh, so I guess Restore is the real deal, and Reform is just another controlled opposition party‘.
The leader of Advance UK — another Reform breakaway party — had this to say:
All eyes now on the Makerfield result.
If Restore polls over 5% that would be a first in British political history. If it polls over 10% that would be seismic.
There can be no bleating from Reform. Restore’s existence is Reform’s fault.
— Ben Habib (@benhabib6) June 14, 2026
And this is true. As we reported, Restore exists because of the inherent contradictions in Reform’s policy platform:
As an example of this, take Zia Yusuf. Yusuf is one of Reform’s most prominent politicians, and he’s constantly arguing that white people are the most oppressed group in the UK…
If you’re a far-right voter who buys into this, why would you vote for the party with Zia Yusuf and Suella Braverman in it? Why wouldn’t you vote for the all-white Restore Britain, which is more obviously following through on Reform’s propaganda?
If Restore didn’t exist, voters would possibly just ignore these contradictions. Because it does, it’s impossible for many to buy into what Farage is selling. And that’s why Restore might be on the verge of preventing a Reform victory in Makerfield:
Via @Moreincommon_, 28 May – 12 June — Stats for Lefties
—
+/- vs GE2024 pic.twitter.com/2wQdBsZ3fL
The shift
The problem with pursuing a political project that constantly shifts right is the ground can shift beneath your feet. It happened to the Tories in 2024, and it’s happening to Reform now.
In other words, it’s no wonder it’s all kicking off.
Featured image via X (Twitter) / the Canary
By Willem Moore
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