Restore is a busted flush. But here is how the Right CAN unite to win: NADINE DORRIES

Published: 01:00, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 01:27, 4 August 2026 You don't need a crystal ball to predict that the UK is facing a destructive high-tax, high-immigration, socialist government, which could be in place for at least one more parliamentary term after this – if not two. With Andy Burnham extending the hand of friendship to the Liberal Democrats and even the Greens, the Left has never been more united. In contrast, the parties of the Right – the Conservatives, Reform and Restore – could not be more divided. In this context, you could be forgiven for taking in good faith the offer made on Sunday by Restore's founder Rupert Lowe, to put past differences aside and work with Reform to take on Labour. In a video released on X, the social media site owned by Lowe's biggest supporter, Elon Musk, he said: 'I truly believe there could be sufficient common ground for our two movements to co-operate collectively and destroy the looming Left-wing alliance that will finish off what remains of our country.' He went on to say: 'In my view, failing to even try because of our own personal difficulties is simply not an option. Now is the time to put our differences aside and co-operate for the good of the country that we all love.' On the face of it, this was an offer of an olive branch by a mature politician who had come to the conclusion it was time to put the good of the nation above personal ambition. But that would be to assume that Lowe, a preposterous ego-maniac who cares about nothing and no one other than Rupert Lowe, had transformed himself into a statesman overnight. However, the sad truth is that his supposedly magnanimous offer was nothing more than a desperate last-ditch attempt to save his own political career. I have it on good authority that a secret meeting was held on Sunday, July 26 between Rupert Lowe and representatives of the Conservative party. My impeccable sources tell me it was only the latest in a series of meetings over the past year, which had laid the ground for the creation of a detailed policy agreement designed to form the basis of a 'Conservative Alliance', between the Tories and Restore. Rupert Lowe has opened the door for an alliance with Nigel Farage, saying it is 'time to put our differences aside' With Andy Burnham extending the hand of friendship to the Liberal Democrats and even the Greens, the Left has never been more united, writes Nadine Dorries The casualty of any such alliance would, of course, be Reform. This shouldn't be a surprise to those who watch events closely. There has always been a comfortable relationship between Restore and the Conservatives who both turn their guns on Reform, never on each other. I've been told that Lowe's price was his elevation to the Lords and the eventual position of Deputy Prime Minister. Naturally, the Conservative representatives rejected this demand out of hand and the Restore leader brought the rendezvous to an abrupt and colourful end, delivering such spicy epithets on his way out that I'm told he has totally burnt his bridges with his would-be allies. (Both the Tories and Restore told the Daily Mail yesterday that no such talks had taken place). Whatever the truth, Lowe was never in a position to make demands of anyone. The Conservatives may be on the back foot following their ignominious defeat at the last election but they remain, nevertheless, a formidable political machine backed by a degree of organisation Rupert Lowe could never begin to emulate. A man at the head of a party with just one MP in the House of Commons, which polled a derisory fourth place in the recent Manchester mayoral election, is in no position to dictate terms to anyone. Let alone the Tories. Reform on the other hand cannot be ignored. Yes, Nigel Farage is going through a difficult time, under attack by those who see Reform as a roadblock to their own political ambition, but he remains a giant of British politics, the architect of Brexit and a man with an unrivalled personal following. Ignore the naysayers: Nigel isn't going anywhere and will remain a thorn in the side of the two-party system for a long time to come. I love money. I love everything about it. I bought some pretty good stuff. Got me a $300 pair of socks. Got a fur sink. An electric dog polisher. A gasoline powered turtleneck sweater. And, of course, I bought some dumb stuff, too. Actor and comedian Steve Martin  Thanks to the rise of his insurgent movement, the Tories have gone from being a party that attracted 25 per cent of the vote when I was a minister in Boris Johnson's government in 2019, to 16 per cent at the 2024 election. That's a loss of a whopping ten million votes in five years and no one, not even the increasingly impressive Kemi Badenoch, can retrieve them with the wave of a magic wand. Politics is a numbers game and the only way for the centre-Right to beat Burnham and the socialists is for Reform and the Conservatives to reach an understanding over an electoral pact. Restore is a busted flush and Rupert Lowe is yesterday's man. After the disastrous outcome of his assignation with Tory negotiators, he had no choice but to try to bury the hatchet with Farage. It was no surprise to hear yesterday that Reform had 'opened the door' to talks. But it wasn't long before Lowe threw a tantrum on X. One can only question, was his performative offer genuine? It's now time for the Tories to act. They have spent a year channelling their energy into forming an alliance with Restore in order to 'crush' Reform but they need to re-focus, put personalities aside, stop sniping at Reform and negotiate with its charismatic vote-winning leader to lay the foundations of an unbeatable alliance. The Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff has revealed the rigmarole surrounding Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz' wedding Extreme wealth can send people truly mad. If you don't believe me, read my colleague Alison Boshoff's excellent new book, Brand Beckham, serialised in the Daily Mail at the weekend. It achieved the impossible and made me feel sorry for David and Victoria's eldest son Brooklyn as I laughed out loud at the sheer ridiculousness of the scenes it described in the run-up to his wedding to Nicola Peltz. Serious discussions over whether puppies should be given to every wedding guest as a thank you present, for example. But my personal favourite was the story about how Victoria was humbled in the diamond stakes when her 21-carat pendant was outshone by the 95-carat Star of the East dazzler sported by the formidable mother of the bride, Claudia Peltz. On a trip to Northern Greece at the end of May, when the weather was perfect, I asked a taxi driver what the temperature was like in August. 'Eees 'Ell,' he shouted as he took his hands off the steering wheel to gesticulate towards the heavens. Driving home this weekend from the annual family gathering in Cornwall, I remembered his words. As the rest of the country basked in sunshine, I had shivered on the shoreline in a dry robe after a cold morning spent surfing, and played volleyball in the rain. 'Why are we paying for a house in Cornwall when, for the same price, we can rent a gorgeous coastal villa in Greece?' I asked everyone. The answer flew back at me, 'Because, eees 'Ell.' With the TV news showing wildfires raging in Greece and elsewhere, I can see what they meant. But next year, I'll be taking my chances and heading for the Continent. One of the many things that surprised me as Culture Secretary was what little power I had over how the huge £840million grant we handed to Arts Council England (ACE) was spent. I was reminded of this when I read in The Mail on Sunday some of the eye-watering spending decisions made by ACE, such as a £100,000 donation to a Migration Matters Festival in Sheffield which used the money to host a flag-making workshop exploring 'identity, protest and belonging'. Another £32,000 was given to playwright Aisha Zia, who wrote Refugee! in which characters discover the UK government's 'complicity' in war crimes. In the same year, 16 museums – custodians of our national heritage – closed after being starved of public funding. If anyone wonders why the country is moving to the Right, they should reflect on how so many public bodies squander money on woke projects that baffle many of the hard-working taxpayers who fund them.