The Makerfield by-election matters hugely. Not only is Andy Burnham seeking a return to Parliament, he will also likely become prime minister if he succeeds at defeating Reform in the contest. The stakes could not be higher. Which makes the impact of Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain particularly important. With Labour and Reform neck and neck in the polls, Restore’s estimated 7 per cent of the vote share could split the right-wing vote enough to carry Burnham to victory. Now, more than ever, it seems a good time to try and understand what Restore stands for. But after attempting to do so this past week, I’m not sure I succeeded.
This was supposed to have been an interview with Rebecca Shepherd, Restore’s candidate for Makerfield. It isn’t, and I hope you will allow me a few words to explain why before I move on to the meat of this piece. Last Monday, shortly after Shepherd was announced as Restore’s candidate, I contacted the party’s press team. Would Rebecca be interested in an interview? If so, I thought it could run in The Spectator. They responded quickly with a yes. They were particularly excited about The Spectator publishing the interview.
‘I’ve never said we should deport whole communities. What I have said is create a hostile environment and if we have to pay these people some money to go home’
