Nigel Farage is facing his own threat from the right in Makerfield

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LONDON — Nigel Farage was hoping to sabotage Labour’s leadership fight. But a former ally is now trying to eat into his vote from the right — with some significant online help.

Next month’s Makerfield by-election looked set to be a head-to-head battle between Farage’s Reform UK and Andy Burnham — a Labour mayor who hopes the contest will provide a stepping-stone in his push to become prime minister.

But a Survation poll released this weekend put Restore Britain — a relatively obscure party led by multimillionaire former football chairman Rupert Lowe — in third place. Campaigners who have been on the ground suggest that study, which has only a limited sample size, could even underestimate support for Lowe’s operation.

It’s enough to have Farage spooked. The Reform UK leader’s frustration bubbled over this weekend after X owner Elon Musk shared a video from Lowe and claimed: “Only Restore Britain can save Britain.”