Well, this is becoming quite the occurrence, isn’t it? A month on from a Reform vs Restore squabble costing Nigel Farage’s party a local by-election in Dover, the pain was amplified further this week, with Rupert Lowe’s further-right group appearing to thwart their rivals in two separate votes.
Reform vs Restore benefits Labour in local by-elections
The stand-out result came from Claremont in Blackpool. This is a region where Reform have made major gains in recent years, and were contesting the council seat for the very first time. With 38% of the vote, they finished behind winners Labour, who chalked up 41% of public support.
Then we’ve got the party who finished in third place. Restore Britain, the party created by ousted ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe earlier this year, earned more than 7% of the vote – sparking a wave of condemnation from Reform councillors, who have blamed the political upstarts for splitting the right-wing vote.
Restore candidates send Reform councillors into meltdown
Up in Northumberland, a similar scenario played out in Amble. The result saw Labour candidate Amy Spriggs win 38.8% of the votes, ahead of Reform’s Warren Ladyman on 33.5% and the Conservative’s candidate Jenny Richards claiming 21%. And, in fourth place, Restore sit on 6.7%.
Again, the splintering of the right-wing vote between Reform and Restore likely cost the former victory. Speaking on Friday, Rupert Lowe admonished Reform for ‘arrogantly assuming voters should fall in line’ and support them, stating that Restore ‘own their own votes’.
“We have patriotic men and women who made the effort to get out and give us their support. It is inspiring. I want to thank each and every one of them. Their votes belong to nobody, not us, not Reform, nobody. It is our job to keep their trust, and continue earning more from others.”
The arrogance to assume that they should all meekly fall in line and support a party that does not adequately represent them is astonishing. I made Reform an offer to work together on a patriotic policy platform, and that offer was outright rejected by Reform. That’s their choice.” | Rupert Lowe
By-election splits spell trouble for Nigel Farage and colleagues
At the end of August, the Guston, Kingsdown, and St Margaret’s-at-Cliff council by-election in Dover gained national attention, as it was billed as the first proper battle between Reform and Restore – and although the latter party were rank outsiders, they managed to earn more than 10% of public support.
Ingrid Dodds, the Green Party candidate who also serves as a local GP and is well-known in the community, was announced as the winner, claiming 28.8% of public support. This put her 35 votes ahead of Reform candidate James Defriend, allowing the Greens to gain the seat from the Conservatives.
Had just 12% of those who voted for Restore switched to Reform, Mr. Defriend would have been crowned the victor. This spells trouble for the turquoise rosettes going forward, as it definitively shows that a mobilised Restore base has the ability to split the right vote and prevent Reform from winning.