Nigel Farage has opened the door to talks with his ally-turned-rival Rupert Lowe over a pact between Reform UK and Restore Britain as he tries to reverse his party’s fortunes after a series of major setbacks.
Mr Lowe, a former Reform MP, made an unexpected gesture towards Mr Farage, despite several public rows between the pair recently.
The Reform UK leader offered a lukewarm response at first, before revealing on Monday he had “reached out” to Mr Lowe to discuss working with Restore Britain.
Reform is facing crises on multiple fronts, with continued scrutiny over its financial dealings, the resurgence of Labour in the polls, and the growing threat of Restore Britain as it continues to eat into the party’s vote share, among some of the key issues it is yet to resolve.
Meanwhile, Mr Farage, who last week saw his approval rating hit its lowest level since the 2024 general election, faces a by-election next week that he is widely expected to win but which could still prove humiliating, given his main opponent is comedian candidate Count Binface.
Discussions about Restore and Reform working together come after Mr Lowe acrimoniously left Mr Farage’s party in March 2025 amid claims of bullying and threatening behaviour before going on to found his party, Restore Britain. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Mr Lowe would face no criminal charges.
The party – which until now has largely been based in Mr Lowe’s constituency, Great Yarmouth – is further to the right than Reform on issues such as immigration and has enjoyed support from tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has publicly backed Restore Britain several times on his X platform.
But despite Mr Farage saying he was “open-minded” about talks, relations quickly soured again when Mr Lowe accused the Reform UK leader of lying about having “reached out” to him.
In a press conference on Monday, Mr Farage said:
“If you want to do a political deal with somebody, you know, you would contact them privately and not do a 12-minute video.
That said, I did actually reach out to him yesterday. I did say, ‘Look, should we have a call?’ I haven’t heard back yet, so I don’t know what the sincerity of his response is.
However, in a post on X after the press conference, Mr Lowe shared a screenshot of a message he said was from Mr Farage, which read, “Will call later.”
The MP for Great Yarmouth added: “I would rather not make private conversations public, but Farage has just done so at a national press conference.
“He just stated he said to me yesterday, ‘Shall we have a call?’ Sadly, that is just a lie.
‘Yesterday, at 10.30, Nigel messaged me, saying the following three words: “Will call later”; the evidence is below. I have received no call.”
Mr Lowe said his offer to the party “remains open” but added: “Outright lying about our private conversations does not help that.”
Outlining his conditions of a pact with Reform, Mr Lowe on Sunday said that Mr Farage would have to commit to not having any former Conservative ministers, such as Tory defectors Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, in any future cabinet.
“I truly believe there could be sufficient common ground for our two movements to cooperate collectively (to) destroy the looming left-wing alliance that will finish off what hope remains for this country,” Mr Lowe said in his video.
“We have recently shown how effectively cooperation can work locally on the Norfolk County Council, so why not at the national level?”
Responding to that, Mr Farage in the press conference said, “I don’t ditch my friends. I stick with my allies, whether that’s Suella Braverman or Posh George (Cottrell); you know I stick with people even when someone else wants me to stop.
The Reform leader added: “In broader terms, look, you could see a situation where Restore, without the hope of winning anything outside Great Yarmouth – I mean, literally without hope of winning a single seat in the country – could do us serious harm.
I think online you will see a lot of Restore’s potential voters now beginning to worry about the impact that might have.
I conclude by saying that if it was an offer of a deal, it came in a very unusual way. I have responded to it potentially, you know, with an open mind, as I would, but I’m certainly not going to be ditching people who I view to be allies and a significant asset.”
Mr Lowe’s party claimed fourth place in the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, gaining 8.7 per cent of the vote, while Reform came second with 21 per cent.
In the Makerfield by-election, which Andy Burnham won, the two parties also outpolled the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
But Mr Farage continues to face questions after he and his party became embroiled in a series of financial scandals.
Deputy leader Richard Tice has become the latest figure to be facing an investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog for allegedly failing to declare an interest.
The standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, confirmed on his website that an investigation had been opened into allegations against the Reform UK deputy leader on Tuesday last week.
Mr Tice has claimed the investigation relates to a complaint about whether he should have referenced his register of interests at the start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence.
The probe comes just days after the standards watchdog declined to investigate a complaint relating to an undeclared loan of almost £80,000 to Mr Tice from convicted fraudster and Farage ally Mr Cottrell.
Meanwhile, Reform UK has faced criticism for its “ridiculous” plan to use Royal Navy ships to stop small-boat crossings from France.
Dubbed Operation Fortress, Farage’s party announced plans on Monday to intercept migrant boats and return them to France or Belgium should they win the next election.
But the plan – unveiled amid heightened unrest at the Spain-Morocco border – has sparked criticism from political opposition and former navy officers, as well as legal and migration experts, who claim it is dangerous, “lacks substance” and would be unworkable under maritime law.
