Piers Baker: The Tory cause could be strengthened by Lowe’s ‘Restore Britain’

Piers McKenzie Baker is a Conservative Party activist and commentator.

Since Rupert Lowe entered parliament as a Reform – now independent – MP, he has proved to be a troublemaker. He has not shied away from saying what was previously deemed unsayable.

Developing a thick skin from his time as chairman of Southampton Football Club, (regular abusive chants of ‘Swing Lowe, Swing Rupert Lowe’ meant he had to), he now expects the milquetoast chattering liberals to get used to the new politics he embodies; unfiltered and unrestrained.

He has caused upset and shock by openly calling for mass deportations, banning non-stun slaughter (which includes halal meat), and the restoration of the death penalty.  But how many Conservatives reading these pages, or those that have hesitated to vote for us recently but were once our most ardent supporters, can actually say they disagree with him?

Of course, being a maverick always comes with a price. Like Icarus, Lowe flew too close to Nigel Farage’s sun-sized ego and came away badly burnt; narrowly avoiding trumped-up charges of threatening violence against a man half his age. The timing and context of the allegations mean it’s hardly conspiratorial to say it seems an attempt at political assassination.

Perhaps the sorest point for Farage, and explanation behind the attempts to defenestrate him, was Lowe’s dramatically rising social media profile. By speaking directly to the electorate through his plain-speaking broadsides on X (formerly Twitter), Lowe has cultivated a mass following that dwarfs most MPs of all party colours. It is safe to say that whoever Lowe is employing to advise with his social media at all-hours, he’s got an excellent return for his money.

Using this ever-increasing following, Lowe has soldiered on.

Not giving Farage the satisfaction of another scalp, he’s struck back with action. Pointing out Reform’s failure to keep to their pied piper promises, he’s spearheading the creation of an independent inquiry into the rape gangs scandal which is fast becoming the most successful crowdfunded campaign in British political history.

He is also continuing to keep a highly active profile in parliament, at least more so than his former Reform colleagues who don’t even seem to be in the country too often. Reassuring for our camp is the fact he regularly works closely with some of the leading lights of the latest and more radicalised generation of Conservative backbenchers. Jack Rankin, Katie Lam, and Nick Timothy are just a few of many who have caught on and are speaking the same bold language as Lowe on the hot cultural issues which matter.

Now Lowe’s latest projec has been the creation of what he calls a movement to ‘Restore Britain’. This isn’t another political party; he’s made it clear he thinks we have too many of those already. The purpose of Restore Britain seems to be to gather like-minded individuals together and lobby for the sort of right-wing, traditional agenda which used to have its natural home in the Conservative Party.

Take a look at its website. I admit that if you’re natural bedfellows with the Cameron project to ‘modernise’ the party then you might not find much there for you. But if you’re the sort of traditional conservative who occupies the grassroots, then you’ll find nothing at odds here with what you’d like to see in our party’s manifesto.

Drastically reduce immigration, scrap IR35, repeal the damaging reforms of Tony Blair; these are the sorts of policies that, in reaction to today’s politics, would have easily fallen off the tongues of Thatcher-era conservatives, or in Lowe’s words ‘Proper Tories’.

Although it is in its early stages, the overall impetus behind Restore Britain is exciting and it matches our programme of renewal. By allowing members to vote on and flesh out policy, Lowe is bringing control of politics back to the grassroots. The Conservative Party has much to learn here. A complaint I’ve often heard at association meetings across the country is: what is the point in membership of an organisation if you don’t have some power over it? We are shareholders in the conservative cause and we want our voices to be listened to. Lowe gets this and this form of direct democracy is bringing people in.

Restore Britain is also exploiting a gap in the market by placing our national identity at its heart and defending socially conservative values. In such a short time it’s already gained 117,000 followers on X, proving that there is an appetite for Lowe’s firebrand style of national conservatism. To have this momentum behind true, old-fashioned conservative values can only help the Tory cause.

On this website, I once praised Farage and pondered whether the Conservatives should do a deal with Reform. His appalling treatment of Lowe and his cynical shift to the economic left have revealed his true colours. Farage is a man who goes in any direction the wind blows and says whatever it takes to obtain power. Lowe, by contrast, is not such a here today, gone tomorrow politician. By launching Restore Britain, he is showing that he is not only interested in how the right can regain power, but crucially what they should do when they get it to fundamentally change our country and put it back on track.

So what do I propose? Whilst our party is reaching its nadir, and our current attempts at reversing our fortunes have been valiant, it is becoming increasingly obvious that we need to try something new. What Rupert Lowe is doing is gaining traction and he has made it abundantly clear that he is not an enemy.  Therefore, why not embrace him, bring him into the Conservative family and thrust his ideas into party policy?

Good conservatives should join Restore Britain to unite the right and help with the work necessary to prepare for a truly radical conservative government. Many already have. From local councillors to the eminent historian David Starkey and Susan Hall our leader on the London Assembly, more and more are realising the opportunity in front of us.

Experiences on the doorstep have shown that our voters will only return if we speak with authenticity and principle. Events have proven that these are the hallmarks of Lowe’s character and ideas. By drawing on them, we can put ourselves in stark opposition to the dishonesty and foolishness of Farage and convince the electorate we are radically different to how we’ve been for the last fourteen years. Whilst Reform veer off in the direction of moral and financial bankruptcy, we can remain rooted in the firm ground we once stood long ago.

Restore Britain is a conservative mission. So, let’s embrace it and make it our own.

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