Tommy Robinson can join Restore if he wants, says Rupert Lowe - as he dismisses fears his party will hand Labour victory in by-election

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 09:14, 14 June 2026 | Updated: 09:18, 14 June 2026 Rupert Lowe has opened the door to Tommy Robinson joining Restore - as he dismissed fears he is handing Labour victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election.   The party leader insisted he would not block the far-Right activist - real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - from signing up. Mr Lowe's comments came as the Mail on Sunday revealed that people campaigning for Restore had joined neo-Nazis at a summit of white supremacists. Nigel Farage has long regarded Yaxley-Lennon as unacceptable, refusing to let him join Reform.  But Mr Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth, told the Sunday Times: 'If Robinson wants to join Restore Britain that's up to him. I don't know whether he's a member or not.  'He may very well be. I told you, I don't audit our membership, nor does any party. If he wants to part with 20 quid and join Restore Britain, that's a matter for him, not for me ...'  Rupert Lowe has opened the door to Tommy Robinson joining Restore - as he dismissed fears he is handing Labour victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election Nigel Farage has long regarded Yaxley-Lennon (pictured) as unacceptable, refusing to let him join Reform Mr Lowe said he gave Yaxley-Lennon 'credit' for 'being right about the rape gangs'.  'You know, I give people credit for everything they do, which is right. And he has been right about that. He was an early adopter of the view that it was happening,' he said.  Yaxley-Lennon has been accused of stoking riots in the wake of the Belfast knife attack and Henry Nowak murder. He recently travelled to Moscow, telling the Guardian he wanted to see how Vladimir Putin's Russia had 'got itself so well on to the straight and narrow and see the beauty of a civilised society here'.  Polls have suggested that Restore's support in Makerfield could be enough to prevent Reform from seizing the seat. Andy Burnham is trying to secure a return to the Commons so he can challenge Keir Starmer, potentially taking Labour further to the Left.  But Mr Lowe told the MoS in a separate interview: 'I don't think it makes any difference whether Andy Burnham wins. 'The people in power are the Labour Party. Most of them are completely incompetent, they haven't done anything and they know they are going to lose their seats at the next election.' Some Restore supporters canvassing for votes in Makerfield were among those attending an extremist Remigration Summit in Portugal two weeks ago. Remigration is a far-Right concept referring to ethnic cleansing via the mass deportation of non-white minority populations. It was conceived as a response to the 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory which asserts that global elites – often Jews – are systematically trying to replace white people with immigrants. A Restore Britain spokesman last night described the revelations about the summit as 'totally irrelevant' and a 'hit piece'. Meanwhile Mr Farage urged voters on the Right to 'come together' to ensure Labour did not take the seat. He said: 'I understand voters want radical change – I do too. 'Now is the time to come together and stop Andy Burnham and Labour, this is our only opportunity. Reform is the only party promising wholesale change from the establishment status quo that can win.' Mr Farage, pictured with Reform candidate Rob Kenyon, has urged voters on the Right to 'come together' to ensure Labour does not take Makerfield Mr Lowe was elected as a Reform MP in the 2024 general election, but left the party amid public disputes with Mr Farage, setting up the rival party last year. He denied that personal animosity with Mr Farage was spurring him on to split the vote, adding: 'Nigel doesn't want to lead. 'He's managed opposition, that's all. I can't understand why he did what he did to me. It was a surprise. I was driving the party's support. I'm a team player.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.