Seven former councillors have defected from Reform UK to a new party called Restore Britain.

• Restore Britain was founded by Rupert Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth.

• Lowe recently formally launched the party, proposing policies including:

  • Banning the burqa

  • Mass deportations

• Lowe described the defections as a “very important day” for the party and said more defections are expected.

• The defecting councillors will now form an official group on the local authority, which is currently run by Reform UK.

• Lowe was elected in 2024 but was later expelled from Reform UK following a public dispute with party leadership.

• He previously set up a self-run inquiry into grooming gangs across the UK.

• Restore Britain began as a pressure group before becoming a political party.

• The group initially attracted members from different political backgrounds, including Susan Hall, who later left when it became a party.

• Councillors who defected include:

  • Maxine Forthergill (Sevenoaks councillor; 2024 general election candidate for Old Bexley and Sidcup, where she finished second)

  • Robert Ford

  • Paul Thomas

  • Dean Burns

  • Isabella Kemp

  • Brian Black

  • Oliver Bradshaw

• Lowe received media attention after Elon Musk suggested he should replace Nigel Farage as Reform leader.

• Lowe was later ejected from Reform following a dispute, including allegations of abusive behaviour by party donor Zia Yusuf, which Lowe denies.

• Lowe officially launched Restore Britain from his farm in Great Yarmouth, describing it as representing “proper Britain.”

• Speaking in London before the defections, Farage said he and Lowe were never friends.

• Farage claimed Lowe had previously sued him in 2019.

• Farage also referenced Lowe’s past roles at Southampton Football Club and WH Ireland, saying he was removed from both after legal disputes.

• Farage argued there are already multiple right-leaning parties in the UK but insisted Reform is the only established centre-right “brand.”

• Farage criticised Lowe’s comments about deporting entire communities, including UK-born individuals, calling the proposal unreasonable and saying it led to Lowe’s removal.

• It is understood the defecting councillors had been suspended by Reform prior to switching parties.