Well, this is becoming quite the occurrence, isn’t it? A month on from a Reform vs Restore squabble costing Nigel Farage’s party a local by-election in Dover, the pain was amplified further this week, with Rupert Lowe’s further-right group appearing to thwart their rivals in two separate votes.
Reform vs Restore benefits Labour in local by-elections
The stand-out result came from Claremont in Blackpool. This is a region where Reform have made major gains in recent years, and were contesting the council seat for the very first time. With 38% of the vote, they finished behind winners Labour, who chalked up 41% of public support.
Then we’ve got the party who finished in third place. Restore Britain, the party created by ousted ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe earlier this year, earned more than 7% of the vote – sparking a wave of condemnation from Reform councillors, who have blamed the political upstarts for splitting the right-wing vote.
Restore candidates send Reform councillors into meltdown
Up in Northumberland, a similar scenario played out in Amble. The result saw Labour candidate Amy Spriggs win 38.8% of the votes, ahead of Reform’s Warren Ladyman on 33.5% and the Conservative’s candidate Jenny Richards claiming 21%. And, in fourth place, Restore sit on 6.7%.
Again, the splintering of the right-wing vote between Reform and Restore likely cost the former victory. Speaking on Friday, Rupert Lowe admonished Reform for ‘arrogantly assuming voters should fall in line’ and support them, stating that Restore ‘own their own votes’.
“We have patriotic men and women who made the effort to get out and give us their support. It is inspiring. I want to thank each and every one of them. Their votes belong to nobody, not us, not Reform, nobody. It is our job to keep their trust, and continue earning more from others.”
The arrogance to assume that they should all meekly fall in line and support a party that does not adequately represent them is astonishing. I made Reform an offer to work together on a patriotic policy platform, and that offer was outright rejected by Reform. That’s their choice.” | Rupert Lowe
By-election splits spell trouble for Nigel Farage and colleagues
At the end of August, the Guston, Kingsdown, and St Margaret’s-at-Cliff council by-election in Dover gained national attention, as it was billed as the first proper battle between Reform and Restore – and although the latter party were rank outsiders, they managed to earn more than 10% of public support.
Ingrid Dodds, the Green Party candidate who also serves as a local GP and is well-known in the community, was announced as the winner, claiming 28.8% of public support. This put her 35 votes ahead of Reform candidate James Defriend, allowing the Greens to gain the seat from the Conservatives.
Had just 12% of those who voted for Restore switched to Reform, Mr. Defriend would have been crowned the victor. This spells trouble for the turquoise rosettes going forward, as it definitively shows that a mobilised Restore base has the ability to split the right vote and prevent Reform from winning.
It’s Happened Again! Reform Lose Key Local By-Elections as Restore Splits the Vote
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has suffered another embarrassing electoral setback after losing key local council by-elections, with Rupert Lowe’s rival Restore Britain accused of splitting the right-wing vote and allowing Labour to secure victories.
The latest results have intensified tensions between the two rival political movements, exposing growing divisions on Britain’s political right.
For Reform, the problem is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Just months ago, Farage’s party appeared to be enjoying an unstoppable rise, attracting voters from the Conservatives and presenting itself as a serious contender for government.
However, the emergence of Restore Britain, established by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, has created a new political complication.
Rather than uniting behind Farage, some right-wing voters are now supporting Lowe’s alternative movement. In closely contested elections, that division could prove decisive.
And Labour appears to be benefiting.
Labour Wins in Blackpool as Reform Falls Just Short
One of the most significant results came from Claremont in Blackpool, an area where Reform has previously enjoyed considerable electoral success.
The contest was particularly important because Reform was attempting to win the council seat for the first time.
However, Labour emerged victorious with 458 votes, representing approximately 41 per cent of the total.
Reform candidate Mark Butcher finished second with 419 votes, receiving around 38 per cent.
Restore Britain finished third with 79 votes, representing more than seven per cent.
The difference between Labour and Reform was just 39 votes.
This means Restore received more than twice the number of votes separating the two leading candidates.
Reform supporters were quick to express their frustration, arguing that Lowe’s party had divided voters who might otherwise have supported Farage’s candidate.
One Reform councillor, Sophie Preston-Hall, criticised the decision to stand a Restore candidate, arguing that splitting the vote had consequences.
The result was particularly frustrating for Reform because the party had come so close to victory.
Had even a relatively small proportion of Restore supporters backed Reform instead, the outcome could potentially have been different.
However, there is no guarantee that all Restore voters would have supported Reform in the absence of their preferred candidate.
Another Defeat in Amble Adds to Reform’s Problems
The situation was remarkably similar in Amble, Northumberland.
Labour candidate Amy Spriggs won the by-election with 439 votes, securing 38.8 per cent of the total.
Reform candidate Warren Ladyman finished second with 379 votes, receiving 33.5 per cent.
The Conservatives came third with 237 votes, while Restore Britain secured 76 votes, representing 6.7 per cent.
The Labour victory was particularly significant because Reform had previously won the ward in the May 2025 elections.
The party’s vote share subsequently fell by 10.9 percentage points, while Labour increased its share slightly.
Once again, Restore’s presence created a divided contest on the right.
The result provided another example of Labour benefiting from competition between Reform and Lowe’s emerging political movement.
For Farage, losing a seat previously held by his party is an unwelcome development, particularly when Reform had hoped to consolidate its position in areas where it had previously performed strongly.
Rupert Lowe Refuses to Tell Restore Supporters to Back Farage
The growing dispute between Farage and Lowe has become one of the most interesting political developments on the British right.
Lowe, who was expelled from Reform earlier in 2025 following a bitter dispute with the party leadership, has established Restore Britain as an alternative political movement.
His organisation is seeking to attract voters who want a tougher political approach but are dissatisfied with Reform’s leadership and direction.
Following the latest by-election results, Lowe rejected suggestions that Restore should simply withdraw candidates to help Reform win.
He argued that voters were entitled to support whichever political movement they believed represented their interests.
Lowe said:
“Their votes belong to nobody, not us, not Reform, nobody.”
He also criticised Reform for assuming that Restore supporters should automatically fall into line behind Farage.
Lowe claimed that he had previously offered Reform an opportunity to cooperate around a shared patriotic policy platform, but that the offer had been rejected.
His position is clear: Restore intends to compete independently rather than act as a political support organisation for Reform.
That stance is likely to frustrate Farage, whose party would benefit from a more united right-wing electoral movement.
The Dover By-Election Already Demonstrated the Problem
This is not the first time that Reform has faced difficulties because of competition from Restore Britain.
At the end of August, the by-election in Guston, Kingsdown and St Margaret’s-at-Cliffe in Dover attracted considerable attention.
The contest was widely viewed as an early test of the relationship between the two political movements.
The Green Party’s Ingrid Dodds won the seat with 28.8 per cent of the vote, finishing just 35 votes ahead of Reform candidate James Defriend.
Restore also secured more than 10 per cent of the vote.
The result immediately generated arguments about whether Restore had cost Reform another opportunity to win.
Analysis suggested that if approximately 12 per cent of Restore voters had instead supported Reform, Defriend could have secured victory.
Once again, the political right appeared divided while another party benefited.
For Reform, the pattern is becoming increasingly concerning.
The party has spent considerable time criticising the fragmentation of Britain’s political right, yet it now faces a rival movement competing for many of the same voters.
Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain Is Becoming a Serious Headache for Farage
Although Restore Britain remains much smaller than Reform, its presence could have a disproportionate impact in closely contested elections.
The movement appeals to voters who support a harder political position on immigration, national sovereignty and government policy.
Some of these voters previously supported Reform but have become dissatisfied with Farage’s leadership or the direction of the party.
Lowe has attempted to position Restore as a more uncompromising alternative.
This creates a difficult situation for Reform.
If Farage moves further towards Restore’s political positions, he risks alienating other voters. If he refuses to do so, he could continue losing support to Lowe.
The two organisations are therefore competing for a similar section of the electorate while attempting to establish their own political identities.
And with Britain’s electoral system often rewarding the candidate who can assemble the largest single block of support, such divisions can have serious consequences.
Labour Benefits From the Right-Wing Infighting
For Labour, the situation presents an obvious political opportunity.
The party does not necessarily need to win over every Reform supporter to benefit from the division.
In a constituency where Reform and Restore compete for similar voters, Labour may be able to win with a smaller proportion of the overall vote.
The Claremont result illustrates this perfectly.
Labour won with 458 votes, while Reform and Restore together received 498.
However, it would be misleading to assume that all Restore voters would automatically have supported Reform.
Political preferences are more complicated than simple arithmetic.
Nevertheless, the results demonstrate how competition between ideologically similar parties can affect electoral outcomes.
Labour will undoubtedly welcome any situation that makes it more difficult for Farage to translate Reform’s popularity into actual victories.
The party’s wider strategy will be to demonstrate that it can regain support from voters who previously abandoned Labour for Reform.
Reform’s Electoral Problems Are Becoming Harder to Ignore
The latest defeats come amid broader questions about Reform’s electoral performance.
The party previously enjoyed a 12-point polling advantage over Labour, but that position has changed considerably.
Labour has recovered support in several national surveys, while Reform has faced increasing scrutiny over its organisation and political credibility.
Local elections have also provided a mixed picture.
Although Reform has managed to secure victories in some areas, it has lost several closely contested seats.
The presence of Restore is not the only explanation.
Candidate selection, turnout, local issues and changing voter preferences all play important roles.
Nevertheless, the repeated appearance of Restore candidates in contests where Reform narrowly loses has created a problem that Farage cannot simply ignore.
If the two movements continue competing independently, the political right could find itself losing elections that it might otherwise have won.
Can Farage and Lowe Ever Work Together?
One of the biggest questions now facing Britain’s political right is whether Farage and Lowe could eventually reach an agreement.
A coordinated electoral strategy could potentially prevent Reform and Restore from competing against one another in marginal constituencies.
However, the personal and political tensions between the two men make such an arrangement difficult.
Lowe has made clear that he does not believe Restore should automatically support Reform.
Farage, meanwhile, has little incentive to surrender control of his party’s political strategy to a rival movement.
Any agreement would require considerable compromise.
It would also require both sides to convince their supporters that cooperation is more important than political rivalry.
At present, there is little indication that such a settlement is imminent.
And while the two organisations continue fighting for the same voters, Labour may be able to benefit from the divisions.
Conclusion: Reform’s Biggest Enemy Could Be on Its Own Side
The latest local by-election results provide another uncomfortable reminder for Nigel Farage that political popularity does not automatically translate into electoral victories.
In Claremont, Labour defeated Reform by just 39 votes, while Restore secured 79.
In Amble, Labour also defeated Reform, with Restore taking 6.7 per cent of the vote.
The results have intensified the dispute between Reform and Restore Britain, with Rupert Lowe refusing to tell his supporters to abandon their political preferences and back Farage.
For Labour, the divisions represent an opportunity to win seats that could otherwise have been much more difficult to secure.
For Reform, however, the problem is becoming increasingly serious.
Farage has spent years arguing that Britain’s political right needs a strong alternative to Labour. Yet his own movement is now competing with another party that wants many of the same voters.
Unless the divisions are resolved, the Conservatives, Labour and other political parties could continue benefiting from the fragmentation.
The biggest question is no longer simply whether Reform can defeat Labour.
It is whether Farage can prevent his own political rivals from helping Labour win first.