Nigel Farage has warned Restore Britain supporters they risk handing the "most left-wing Prime Minister of modern times" the keys to No10 if they do not back Reform UK in Makerfield.
The Reform UK leader was asked about Rupert Lowe's party while he was campaigning in Makerfield ahead of the seat's crunch by-election on June 18.
Mr Farage, who was joined by Reform UK's candidate Robert Kenyon, said: “If you vote for Restore, you risk perhaps the most left-wing Prime Minister of modern times, so that’s the simple message that I am going to put to Restore voters.”
The Reform UK leader also accused Restore Britain supporters of orchestrating a campaign of online abuse against his allies.
"The levels of hatred and abuse that we get from some of their supporters online is pretty vile stuff, I can tell you," the Clacton MP said.
"I'm not going to return the compliment. I'll just make it very clear it's a two-horse race. Only Reform can beat the Labour Party in this by-election."
A recent poll conducted by Survation found Reform UK is just 10 per cent behind Labour in the Greater Manchester seat.
Mr Kenyon's vote share stood at 39 per cent, while Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's support hit 49 per cent.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage appeared in Makerfield today
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Meanwhile, Restore Britain found itself languishing in a distant third place, with Rebecca Shepherd securing just eight per cent of the vote.
Mr Lowe, who was elected as one of five Reform UK MPs at the 2024 General Election, set up Restore Britain as a political party in February after being booted out by Mr Farage last year.
The 68-year-old was accused of threatening Reform UK's then-chairman Zia Yusuf.
Mr Lowe has consistently denied the allegations made against him.
Polls suggest Restore Britain does pose a threat to Reform UK, potentially handing victory to Labour in Mr Farage's key target seats.
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Find Out Now found that one-in-five 2024 Reform UK supporters have now switched to Restore Britain.
Restore Britain supporters point to the party's success in Great Yarmouth in the 2026 Local Elections as evidence of the threat posed to Reform UK.
Despite Reform UK winning 40 seats on Norfolk County Council, candidates endorsed by Mr Lowe under the Great Yarmouth First banner secured a clean sweep in the East of England seaside town.
Mr Lowe, who claims Restore Britain has now set up 550 local branches, confirmed this week that he intends to stand candidates across the UK at the next general election.
However, Reform UK's treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick told GB News that he is not worried about the rise of Restore Britain.
A banner for the Restore Britain political party is picured in Ashton-in-Makerfield
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"The only way to get rid of Labour is to rally behind Nigel and Reform," Mr Jenrick said.
Mr Lowe responded to Mr Farage's comments about Restore Britain on social media.
The Great Yarmouth MP, who is backed by X owner Elon Musk, said: "Farage throwing around more outright lies about Restore Britain on national television just now."
During his visit to Makerfield today, Mr Farage said Reform UK is “unapologetic” about Mr Kenyon's offensive social media comments.
“Vote Andy” posters were placed in the windows of a derelict pub in Ashton-in-Makerfield | GB NEWS
Mr Kenyon, a local plumber who was elected as a councillor in May, used a now-deleted X account to support an offensive post about Welsh broadcaster Carol Vorderman.
Mr Farage told reporters: “These comments were posted a decade ago.
"They’ve been taken wildly out of context, but they’re the sort of comments that you won’t necessarily get if you’re an Oxford-educated career politician living in a nice postcode in London."
Mr Kenyon was also accused of making offensive comments about female referees and posting in support of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Robert Kenyon is Reform UK's Makerfield candidate
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Labour MP Anna Turley criticised Mr Farage for defending Mr Kenyon.
Ms Turley said: “In giving his full-throated backing to his disgraced candidate, Nigel Farage is proving he’s just as unfit for office as Robert Kenyon is.
"Reform are determined to drag politics into the gutter. Defending someone who has made vile comments about women and who has peddled dangerous false narratives about the Manchester Arena bombing exposes just what a toxic and divisive party Farage’s Reform is."
She added: “While Robert Kenyon continues to be mired in scandal and avoids answering questions about his past behaviour, Labour’s Andy Burnham is working every day to unite communities and speak with local residents about his plan to bring investment to Makerfield.
"Send Reform packing next week – vote for Labour’s Andy Burnham on Thursday, June 18.”