Efforts to forge a political pact between the right-wing parties Reform UK and Restore Britain have become mired in public disputes between their leaders. The prospect of negotiations was initiated when Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe posted a video outlining his conditions for a potential deal with Reform UK.
Lowe's demands included Reform UK's commitment to mass deportations of both illegal and legal migrants, a referendum on the death penalty, a ban on the burqa, and the exclusion of former Conservative ministers like Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick from any future government positions. Lowe also alleged that Farage had attempted to undermine him in the past.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, stated that he had reached out to Lowe for exploratory talks. "I did actually reach out yesterday to him. I said, 'Look, shall we have a call?' I haven't heard back yet, so I don't know what the sincerity of this is," Farage said at a press conference. He added that he was prepared to make sacrifices for a "sane centre-Right alliance" to defeat the Labour Party in the upcoming general election, referencing his decision in 2019 to stand down Reform candidates in Conservative-held seats.
However, Farage rejected Lowe's call to distance himself from Conservative defectors, including Lee Anderson, stating, "I don't ditch my friends. I don't ditch my allies, whether that's Suella Braverman or Posh George [Cottrell], you know I do not ditch people because somebody else wants me to." Farage also criticized Lowe's public video approach, suggesting that a private conversation would have been more appropriate for initiating negotiations.
Restore Britain quickly countered Farage's claims, accusing him of lying. Lowe posted a screenshot of a message he purportedly received from Farage that read, "Will call later," and stated no call had occurred. Lowe expressed his reluctance to work with someone he claimed had made false allegations against him, leading to his home being raided by armed police. He maintained his offer to cooperate to "save the country" but criticized Farage's public statements about their private discussions.
A spokesperson for Reform UK dismissed Lowe's claims as "not worth" responding to. A source from Restore Britain indicated that Lowe was irritated by Farage's remarks, suggesting Farage was attempting to portray Lowe as the obstacle to a deal.
Restore Britain was launched by Lowe in March after his expulsion from Reform UK the previous year. The party gained some media attention in the Makerfield by-election but secured only 7% of the vote. A Restore source suggested that Lowe now recognizes the party cannot directly rival Reform UK and plans to focus on influencing Reform's policy platform for the next election.
A senior Reform UK source acknowledged that many of Lowe's policy proposals align with Reform's core voter base. The source suggested that the two leaders should engage in private discussions rather than public disputes.
The Conservative Party commented that the dispute "lays bare just how unserious Reform really are." Pollster Luke Tryl of More In Common advised Reform UK to focus on attracting undecided voters rather than adopting Restore's policy positions, which he suggested could alienate potential supporters.