Political Career

Early Political Activity

Rupert Lowe's political journey began with his membership of the Conservative Party, which he left in 1993 over disagreements about the Maastricht Treaty. This early Euroscepticism would define much of his later political career.

1997: Referendum Party

Lowe stood as the Referendum Party candidate for The Cotswolds constituency in the 1997 UK general election. While he came fourth, this marked his first formal entry into electoral politics and established his credentials as a Eurosceptic activist.

European Parliament (2019-2020)

After over two decades away from electoral politics, Lowe returned in dramatic fashion at the 2019 European Parliament election. Running for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party in the West Midlands constituency, he won a seat and became a Member of the European Parliament.

During his time in the European Parliament, Lowe made headlines for his controversial views on climate change. In January 2020, during debates about the Australian bushfires, he stated: "It's disappointing that climate change has been blamed as the primary cause of these devastating bushfires... The cult of climate change marches on with no definitive evidence to support or deny the factual accuracy of their assertions."

Lowe's time in the European Parliament was brief, ending on 31 January 2020 when the UK officially withdrew from the European Union.

Return to Reform UK (2023)

In March 2023, Lowe returned to active politics as Reform UK's Business and Agriculture Spokesman. He immediately began building his profile as a potential parliamentary candidate.

2024 Kingswood By-Election

Lowe contested the 2024 Kingswood by-election, finishing in third place but achieving over 10% of the vote — Reform's best-ever by-election result at that time (though this was bettered later the same day by Ben Habib's result in Wellingborough).

Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth

At the 2024 UK general election on 4 July, Lowe stood for the Great Yarmouth constituency in Norfolk. He won with 35.3% of the vote, defeating the incumbent Conservative candidate and becoming one of Reform UK's first MPs in the House of Commons.

Early Actions as MP

Upon taking his seat, Lowe made several notable decisions:

• Pledged to donate his MP salary to a different local charity or worthy cause each month
• Compiled a list of schools in his constituency where he alleged teachers had shown bias against Reform during the election campaign
• Served as Reform UK's Business and Agriculture Spokesman

Elon Musk Endorsement (January 2025)

In January 2025, American businessman Elon Musk made headlines when he called for Nigel Farage to resign as Reform UK leader, and subsequently praised Lowe as a potential alternative. Lowe thanked Musk but publicly reiterated his support for Farage at that time.

The dispute stemmed from Musk's endorsement of the imprisoned far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whom Farage had rejected. Lowe took a nuanced position, saying Robinson should be acknowledged for "exposing these [child rape] gangs" but calling him "not right for Reform."

Departure from Reform UK (March 2025)

In March 2025, Lowe had the Reform UK whip suspended amid reports of a disagreement with party leadership, including allegations that he had threatened then-party chairman Zia Yusuf. Since then, he has sat in Parliament as an Independent MP.

Restore Britain & Great Yarmouth First

Following his departure from Reform UK, Lowe founded the political organisationRestore Britain in June 2025, initially as a pressure group. He also established Great Yarmouth First, a local political party in his constituency.

In February 2026, Lowe formally converted Restore Britain into a registered national political party, with the launch event held at a theatre on Great Yarmouth's Britannia Pier.