Ben Habib winds up Advance UK to clear the way for Restore Britain

Ben Habib, the former deputy leader of Reform UK, has announced the closure of his hard-right political party, Advance UK, claiming the emergence of Restore Britain has made a separate rival movement unnecessary.

Habib quit Reform UK in November 2024 following a dispute with Nigel Farage over immigration policy and Farage’s leadership style. He launched Advance UK in June 2025 as a challenger to Reform, positioning it as a more uncompromising force on the right.

However, speaking to members this week, Habib announced Advance UK would either be de-registered with the Electoral Commission or merged into a broader right-wing campaigning organisation.

“At least on the face of it, Restore Britain is a party that is very, very similar to Advance UK, and we don’t need this kind of confusion on the Right-hand side of British politics,” Habib said.

“The responsible thing to do now is for Advance UK to take a step back and allow the pressure that Restore Britain will undoubtedly bring on Reform and the Conservative Party to develop.

“Now is not the time for us to be standing in elections against Reform, against Restore… and just confusing the landscape.”

Explaining the decision, Habib added: “When the country needed a serious principled political party on the Right, I launched Advance UK.

“The situation has since changed. And so we too must change. We are not in politics for the sake of being in politics. It has never been about egos. It has always been about the country.”

Restore Britain was launched by Rupert Lowe as a breakaway movement designed not just as an alternative to Reform UK, but as a direct challenge to Farage’s dominance of the populist right.

The former Southampton FC chairman, Brexit Party MEP and MP for Great Yarmouth was elected to Parliament in 2024 as a Reform UK candidate, but his relationship with the party leadership quickly deteriorated.

In early 2025, Lowe publicly praised Tommy Robinson and became embroiled in controversy over remarks made in Parliament. Tensions escalated further when he told the Daily Mail that Reform was “a protest party led by the Messiah”. He also argued that MPs should be paid around £250,000 a year while the size of the House of Commons should be halved and described the BBC as “a cancer at the heart of Britain.”

Reform suspended Lowe in March 2025 following allegations of bullying within his parliamentary office and claims that he had made verbal threats against party chairman Zia Yusuf.

Restore Britain’s first electoral breakthrough came through its local affiliate, Great Yarmouth First (GYF).

GYF contested ten council seats and won all ten, taking seven from the Conservatives and two from Labour while helping to deny Reform overall control of the council.

Spurred on by its success in Great Yarmouth, Restore Britain is seeking to expand beyond Norfolk. The party has set its sights on the forthcoming Makerfield by-election, where Lowe has announced local businesswoman Rebecca Shepherd as its candidate.

Restore claims it is currently polling around seven per cent in the constituency, raising concerns among some on the right that a split right-wing vote could ultimately benefit Labour.