Toxic antisemitism surfaces as Restore Britain eyes decisive role in by-election

Concerns are mounting over the rise of the Restore Britain political party, as evidence of entrenched anti-Jewish hatred among its supporters continues to emerge.

A poll conducted ahead of next month’s by-election in Makerfield, north-west England, suggested that Restore Britain—a far-right party founded by former Reform UK member and now independent MP Rupert Lowe—is currently in third place, behind Labour and Reform UK.

The party is expected to play a decisive role in the final outcome.

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Standing for Restore Britain in the by-election is local businesswoman Rebecca Shepherd.

She is campaigning on policies such as“tackling the gangs of foreign men who harass and intimidate local women and girls in Ashton, and elsewhere across the constituency and the Wigan Borough”, holding parents responsible for unruly children causing trouble in the community; and demanding “a full investigation into the explosion of vape shops and Turkish barbers for trading standards/immigration non-compliance.”

While Shepherd’s manifesto makes no reference to Britain’s Jewish community,  open displays of antisemitism and Jew-hatred among other Restore Britain supporters are now easy to find.

This worrying development comes at the same time as a surge in open displays of antisemitism on the extreme right – with banners opposing “Zionist control” or “Zionist occupation” of Britain now commonplace on demonstrations such as the May 16 Unite the UK event in central London.

Jewish News was alerted to an online interview between Jewish podcaster Andrew Gold and Steve Laws, a self-confessed Restore Britain supporter with a lengthy history of far-right political activism.

During the interview, Laws expressed his belief that England “will thrive … we will get our country back.”

When asked how he intends to restore England to its former glory, Laws replied: “People like you leaving…”

Laws went on to suggest Gold would receive a letter telling him he has to leave the country.

“I’m an Englishman,” Gold protested. “I’m looking at you as a Jew and I’m telling you, you are foreign,” Laws responded.

Gold, who explores religious groups and cults on his Heretics Podcast, argued that, if not for his surname, his Jewish identity would not be obvious.

But Laws replied: “You’re subverting yourself even more to try and hide among the population. It’s just proving my point. You people are foreign.”

Laws, who has a large online following, has previously gained attention for his anti-migrant activism and involvement with extreme right parties, including the Homeland Party.

He also launched the pressure group Remigration Now, which advocates for “total remigration” of everyone with non-white heritage.

Last year, in an interview, Laws was asked about his views on Hitler.

He replied: “Some good policies. I wouldn’t agree with everything […] He’s very much a misunderstood politician. I’d say a lot of the stuff that he advocated for in the German people would do wonders for our people right now.”

When asked about the Holocaust, he added: “I very much doubt the figures on that. I don’t think we should have to gas people. I just say remove them. This is my position.”

In February this year, after the launch of Restore Britain—which calls for a ban on both kosher and halal slaughter—Laws said: “It’s not enough to just join Restore. You need to get out and campaign. Leafleting, door-to-door canvassing, helping out with local and national elections, and everything in between. Take the online momentum to the streets. Restore has given us the vehicle. It’s on all of us to secure the victory.”

But Laws is not alone in holding such extremist views within Restore Britain circles.

Chris Mitchell previously served as the East of England organiser for the antisemitic far-right group Patriotic Alternative (PA).

Mitchell has used his Facebook page to share the ideologies of hard-line white power nationalists and to call for an end to “Jewish control over our people.”

He openly urged his followers to support Restore Britain after its launch, and has since pushed for the party to adopt an increasingly hostile stance toward Israel, as well as toward Jews living in the UK.

In a recent online post, Mitchell wrote: “The Jews tell us in 2026 there’s no genocide against the Palestinians despite all the video evidence we have. So forgive me if I don’t for one single second believe six million died during the Holocaust when there’s very little evidence. Controversial? Perhaps, but it’s the truth.”

On 20 April, Searchlight magazine reported that Mitchell had posted birthday greetings to Adolf Hitler on his Telegram channel, writing: “Happy 420 guys. Happy birthday Unc,” and ending with a prayer-hands emoji.

Despite his extremist views, Mitchell posed for a selfie with Lowe at an outdoor conference held by Great Yarmouth First in mid-February, and shared the image publicly on Facebook and Telegram.

According to Mitchell, when he asked Lowe whether his extreme nationalist views would be a problem, Lowe responded that it was a matter of “free speech.”

Further concerns emerged after footage surfaced of Restore Britain activists campaigning in Makerfield ahead of the by-election, spreading conspiracy theories about who controls the country and about public money being spent “on foreign wars.”

One activist, Frank Wrighter, focused on the “reckless” war in the Middle East, claiming “we never should have been involved with” it. He then argued that questions should be raised about who is “actually ruling America,” since the Iran war was not in America’s national interest.”

Wrighter went on to name Israel, claiming that war with Iran served its interests as “the rulers,” and proceeded to blame “the Israelis” and Benjamin Netanyahu for Europe’s migration problems.

The same activist also claimed that ordinary Brits were being “systematically excluded” from positions of power.

“We need to SAVE the NATION, and I think Rupert Lowe is the ONLY vehicle to do that,” Wrighter added.

Footage of Wrighter’s interview, posted on the alt-right site Vox Populi, was immediately praised by none other than Elon Musk and American writer Glenn Greenwald.

“The Trump/Netanyahu Iran War and other wars like it are fought for a tiny class of global elites, bringing nothing of value to ordinary citizens except debt and destruction,” observed Greenwald.

“The driving force behind these wars is Israel, and these wars are fought for its interests.”

Charlie Downes holds a senior role within Restore Britain, serving as the party’s campaign director and spokesperson, according to his social media profile.

Downes has previously stated, “Restore Britain believe that Britain is a people defined by indigenous British ancestry and Christian faith.”

However, a recent social media post took aim at Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, featuring an image of Farage at the launch of the Reform Jewish Alliance, which seeks to increase support for Reform UK among British Jews.

There have also been attempts to boost support for Restore Britain by using the Iran war as a recruiting tool, with claims that Reform UK would have drawn Britain into a conflict fought for the benefit of the US and Israel.

Downes posted on social media: “Britain first. Not America, not Israel.”

However, some of Downes’s followers on social media have questioned how strong Restore Britain’s anti-Israel and anti-Zionist stance truly is.

They point to past social media posts by leader Lowe supporting Israel, as well as more recent calls for the proscription of Iran’s IRGC.

“I think any biased support for Israel or Zionist influence in Restore could ultimately weaken the party or subject it to subterfuge in order to fracture,” wrote one supporter on Downes’s X account. “They will 100% lose my vote if they start simping for Jews,” wrote another supporter.

Restore Britain was officially launched as a pressure group on 30 June 2025, and as a political party on 13 February 2026.

Lowe entered the House of Commons at the 2024 UK general election as MP for Great Yarmouth and was appointed Reform UK’s Business and Agriculture Spokesman. In March 2025, he had the whip suspended following legal accusations, days after criticising Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

The party advocates for the large-scale deportation of people in the UK without legal status, including pursuing net-negative immigration.

It also calls for a referendum on reinstating the death penalty, withdrawing public funding for the BBC, banning the burqa and niqab, legalising the possession of pepper spray, and expanding the legal definition of “reasonable force” in defence of the home.

Additionally, Restore Britain promises to stop “wokery” and to ban both kosher and halal slaughter.

In April 2026, The Times reported that “prominent neo-fascist leaders” had backed the party.

According to Hope not Hate, Restore Britain has gained support from British neo-Nazis, including the leadership of Patriotic Alternative, as well as former officials from the British Democratic Party, the British National Party, and For Britain.

Lowe has expressed indifference to the party being described as far-right or racist, and has disputed that Restore Britain is either racist or bigoted.

He laughed off claims of antisemitism last year, when a leaked recording confirmed he had told a photographer: “In days gone by you’d call it a Jewish camera, but that would be politically incorrect. Because it’s so small.”⁠
⁠Pollsters Findoutnow conducted a poll of 3,029 adults in late February, finding that 7% of respondents would support Restore Britain in a general election.

In March 2026, Findoutnow found Restore Britain polling at 8%, with Reform at 25%.

By April 2026, support for Restore had risen to 9%, while Reform dropped to 21%.

In the 2026 local elections, Great Yarmouth First, Restore Britain’s local affiliate in the Borough of Great Yarmouth, contested ten seats in the 2026 local elections—nine for Norfolk County Council and one for Great Yarmouth Borough Council—and won all ten seats.

And the party looks set to play a decisive role in the Makerfield by-election.

With last weekend’s Survation poll for the Sunday Times showing Labour on 43 percent, Reform UK on 40 percent and Restore Britain in third on seven percent, Lowe’s party have received far more national media coverage.

Farage and his supporters argue Lowe’s party is splitting the anti-Labour vote, and therefore allowing victory for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, widely views as attempted to use any victory as a launch pad for his campaign to become the next Prime Minister.

But Restore have hit back, arguing that the Survation poll actually underestimates support for their candidate, while also claiming Reform are frightened of the growing success of Lowe’s party.

Another growing line of thought centres on the decision of the MP elected at last election Josh Simons, who is also Jewish, to step down to allow Burnham a possible route back into Westminster politics.

“It’s just another another example of the way the globalist elite treat ordinary British people with disdain,” wrote one Restore Britain supporter on social media.

The by-election has thus become a bellwether for Labour’s ability to hold onto its traditional heartland, with the surge of populist and far-right sentiment turning Makerfield into a worrying contest, not just for the party, but also for many British Jews.