Reform UK robbed of council by-election victory by Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain

Reform UK has narrowly lost a council by-election to the Greens after a split in the Right-wing vote with Rupert Lowe‘s Restore Britain. Zack Polanski’s Left-wing party took the seat on Dover council from the Tories with 28% of vote.

Nigel Farage‘s Reform was just behind on 27%, while the Conservatives were third with 17%, Labour fourth with 14% and Restore in fifth with 10%. A Reform source said: “The message from this by-election is clear: vote Restore, get Green. The only thing Lowe and his acolytes are restoring is the uniparty.”

Matt Goodwin, a former Reform candidate, claimed that Restore activists were “celebrating stopping Reform” in Dover.

He wrote on X: “Celebrating the fact they helped the Greens win. Now think about the next general election. Now think about what this means for Britain.

“You wake up the morning after the next general election and see Restore activists on social media celebrating the fact Reform and the patriotic majority have not won.

“Celebrating the fact Restore has put Islamists, the far-left, or Labour into power at the expense of the British people. At the expense of actually saving this country.”

But Mr Lowe, who set up Restore Britain after his acrimonious exit from Reform UK, hailed it as the party’s “best ever election result outside of Great Yarmouth”.

He added: “To those who screech that those voters arrogantly belong to someone else? I say this: earn it.

“We all had our chance to put forward our offering to the electorate. Jez Hermer did exactly that and won substantial support for doing so.

“I offered to work with Reform on the correct policy platform. They refused. The offer remains on the table, but the Reform leadership have made it clear they will not work with us. That is their choice.”

It comes after Mr Lowe earlier this month called for a deal between his party and Mr Farage’s in order to avoid splitting the Right-wing vote.

The Great Yarmouth MP set out a series of conditions, including that Reform would have to agree to ban the burqa and halal meat, and rule out any former Conservative ministers in future cabinets.

Mr Farage said he was “open-minded” about a pact, but talk of a deal broke down after Reform ruled out striking an agreement unless Restore ousts co-founder Charlie Downes over antisemitism allegations.

It comes as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch earlier this month ruled out a “monstrous Reform/Conservative hybrid” government at Westminster.

The latest YouGov polling puts Reform in the lead with 23%, Labour on 22%, the Tories third with 20%, and Restore Britain on 3%.