Restore Britain’s Makerfield candidate has admitted she has not read her own party’s 42-page energy policy document, handing Reform UK fresh ammunition in its argument that the splinter party is handing Andy Burnham a clear path back into parliament.
Rebecca Shepherd, a 53-year-old local businesswoman from the Wigan area, made the admission during a YouTube interview with Vox Populi that was rapidly circulated online. Reform UK supporters seized on what they described as underprepared and simplistic responses from Shepherd, with critics labelling her a “dud” and renewing their central argument that every vote for Restore Britain on 18 June is, in effect, a vote for Labour.
The timing could hardly be worse. The first Survation poll of the contest, published in The Sunday Times, puts Burnham on 43 per cent and Reform’s candidate Robert Kenyon — an Army veteran and local councillor — on 40 per cent, with Shepherd on seven per cent. Crucially, a generic ballot without candidate names attached shows Reform leading Labour by eleven points in the constituency. The arithmetic is stark: Burnham’s personal popularity combined with Restore Britain’s presence in the race accounts for almost exactly the difference between a Reform gain and a Labour hold.
Restore Britain’s leader Rupert Lowe, a former Reform MP who left to found the party after a public falling-out with Nigel Farage, pushed back against the criticism, framing the campaign as a battle against the political establishment and arguing that grassroots energy matters more than polling snapshots. Shepherd’s supporters have offered a similar defence, contending that her appeal lies precisely in being a local resident without a political background — and that her lack of polish resonates with voters who have grown tired of professional politicians.
The interview episode nonetheless adds to a difficult week for the party. Campaign group Hope Not Hate has raised concerns about alleged links between Restore Britain and more extreme elements, including activists said to have connections to Patriotic Alternative who are reportedly canvassing locally on the party’s behalf. Restore Britain describes itself as a patriotic, anti-establishment force focused on immigration, energy costs and national sovereignty.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, who stood aside to create a parliamentary seat for Burnham. The Greater Manchester Mayor needs to win a Commons seat before he can mount a formal leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer — a contest that polling suggests he would win decisively. Reform’s confidence in the seat is grounded in recent results: the party won all eight council wards in Makerfield at this month’s local elections with around 50 per cent of the vote.
With turnout expected to be low — the seat recorded just 52 per cent at the last general election — the margin for error is slim. Whether Restore Britain can convince voters it represents a genuine alternative, rather than a vote-splitting exercise that delivers the seat to Labour, may prove the defining question of the campaign before polling day on 18 June.
