But Rupert Lowe says he is lying about the phone call
Nigel Farage said on Monday he was ‘open-minded’ about a conversation with Rupert Lowe over a possible electoral pact between Reform UK and Restore Britain. Within hours, Lowe publicly accused him of lying about their private exchange.
Speaking at a press conference in central London, Farage said he had reached out to Lowe on Sunday suggesting a phone call and had not heard back. He stressed that ‘a conversation is different to a negotiation’.
Lowe hit back on X shortly afterwards. He posted a screenshot of a message he says Farage sent him at 10.30am on Sunday, reading simply: ‘Will call later.’ Lowe said no call ever came, called Farage’s account a lie, and said his offer ‘remains open’.
No talks have been confirmed. The Telegraph reported that Farage was ‘in talks’ with Restore, but as of Monday evening the two men had exchanged only messages and public accusations.
What Lowe is asking for
Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth, urged Farage on Sunday to work with Restore to deliver what he called a ‘patriotic government’. He set out five conditions. These include mass deportations of illegal immigrants, tighter legal migration, deep welfare cuts, a referendum on the death penalty, and a bar on former Tory ministers such as Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman serving in any joint cabinet.
A Restore source told The Telegraph the party wants ‘co-operation rather than a merger’ and that the conditions are negotiable.
Lowe was suspended by Reform in March 2025 after allegations that included threats towards then party chairman Zia Yusuf, which he denied. He was later expelled and registered Restore Britain as a party in March 2026.
Why Reform is rattled
Farage admitted Restore ‘could do us great harm’ by splitting the right-wing vote, even as he told The Telegraph the party ‘can’t win a single seat in the country outside of Yarmouth’.
The numbers explain his concern. In last week’s Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, Restore took around 8.7% of first-preference votes, more than 46,000 ballots, finishing fourth and ahead of the Conservatives. Labour’s Bev Craig won with roughly 47%. Reform came second on about 21%.
Farage admitted Restore ‘could do us great harm’ by splitting the right-wing vote.
Restore polls between 3% and 9% nationally. Electoral Calculus estimates that a full slate of Restore candidates could cost Reform dozens of seats at a general election. Lowe’s profile rose after his independent report into grooming gangs.
The disputed Tory deal
Farage said on Monday that Lowe ‘had been working quite closely with’ the Conservatives ‘for some time’. The Telegraph reported, citing two unnamed sources, that Lowe agreed last year not to criticise Kemi Badenoch’s party in exchange for a seat on the Commons public accounts committee, which he took up in October 2025.
The Conservatives deny any deal. A Tory source called it ‘a figment of Mr Farage’s imagination’. Lowe has said only that he made an ‘agreement’ with Badenoch not to call her MPs ‘Lib Dem Tories’, in comments to GB News.
Both men say the door to co-operation remains open. Whether either picks up the phone is another matter.
