We need to get back to reality, because there’s a lot of emotion flying around and not enough straight talking.
Yes, Rupert Lowe has launched Restore. Yes, it follows the past split with Nigel Farage. And yes, his launch video did huge numbers online after amplification from Elon Musk. But we need to separate what looks big on social media from what actually moves votes in Britain.
I’ve seen people point to 30 million views like it’s the political equivalent of storming the beaches. It really isn’t. When Elon Musk retweets you, you get global reach. I know that firsthand, as he’s retweeted one of my posts before, and suddenly I had millions of views overnight.
It looks impressive, but it doesn’t mean millions of British voters are suddenly backing you. Most of those views come from abroad. America, Europe and beyond… basically everywhere. X is a global platform.
A UK general election is local.
Views are not votes.
I got some serious blowback for my honesty online, unfortunately, by some very nasty and openly racist accounts, most of which were anonymous.
To be clear, these were not linked at all to Restore, but they were jumping on the excitement of another party launching on the right. And simply wanting to attack Reform supporters for not supporting their extreme narrative. Restore really won't welcome their vocal and racist outbursts, trust me.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Reform UK are polling over 30 per cent in several polls. That’s not theory, or a commissioned internal poll for PR; that’s consistent and measurable national support.
Labour is clearly in decline, and in my opinion, the next election could realistically become a straight contest between Reform and the Green Party.
I’ll say it plainly: I believe that the Greens represent a far-left, extremist, economically dangerous direction for this country.
So when I look at Restore launching now, my concern isn’t personal. It’s simply strategic.
Momentum and unity on the right matter. Timing matters.
I’ve also seen something else on social media, a lot of Restore supporters sounding spooked about Reform bringing in former Conservative MPs. There’s this fear that Reform will somehow be infiltrated, corrupted or watered down.
Reform's real enemy at the ballot box is not Labour - Adam Brooks
|Getty Images
I totally understand the concern. I, too, blame the Tories for so much, but here’s my view.
Most of the MPs Reform is attracting appear to be genuine conservatives - people who actually believe in drastically lower immigration, mass deportations, leaving the ECHR, a stronger economy, and national sovereignty.
Many of them were trapped inside a Conservative Party that, in my opinion, drifted away from its base and became something closer to a Liberal Democrat-style managerial outfit.
They simply weren’t allowed to do the job that they were elected and wanted to do. They’ve signalled their disgust at their past Government’s lies and inaction.
So it doesn’t surprise me that some of them are now moving to Reform.
That said, I’m not going to blindly agree with every decision Reform makes. No political party deserves unconditional loyalty. As I repeatedly say, no government is your friend. They work for you - not the other way round.
One decision that got my back up was the involvement of Nadhim Zahawi. I made my feelings clear about that both on GB News and online. People know where I stand on it.
Supporting a movement doesn’t mean abandoning your judgement. It means backing the direction, while still holding people accountable.
That’s called being honest.
But none of that changes the core reality.
Reform didn’t just appear yesterday. Their roots go back to the Brexit Party. They’ve spent years building infrastructure, recognition and trust from millions of the electorate.
And at the centre of it is Nigel Farage - one of the most recognisable political figures in modern British history. People know him, in fact, I’d say that every voter will know him and in politics, familiarity carries enormous weight. Many people vote for those they’ve heard of.
Restore, by contrast, is brand new. It has energy, and it definitely has passion. In my opinion, it absolutely has a role in applying pressure and keeping Reform sharp. Competition of ideas is healthy. It definitely stops complacency.
But building a party capable of winning a general election takes more than viral videos and online enthusiasm.
It takes years, infrastructure and local teams networking.
My worry, and I’ve said this openly, is that unrealistic expectations, driven by social media metrics, will risk fragmenting support at the exact moment when consolidation of the right could deliver real political change.
Because if the next election really does come down to Reform versus a collapsing Labour movement and a rising Green alternative, then the stakes really couldn’t be higher.
I’m not against Rupert Lowe, I know him, I like him and his politics, I’m not against Restore existing.
But Reform UK, as things stand today, speaks for me more than any other political party. That hasn’t changed because of a launch video. It hasn’t changed because of social media arguments. And it hasn’t changed because of internal fallouts.
No party will ever be perfect.
No government will ever agree with you on everything.
But right now, Reform has the momentum, the recognition, and let’s be honest… the numbers.
That’s the reality, whether people like hearing it or not.
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