Restore Britain fields candidate in first Scottish council by-election
Restore Britain announced it will contest the Mid Argyll council by-election, nominating George Love as its first Scottish candidate.
Restore Britain confirmed it will participate in its first Scottish election, fielding George Love in the Mid Argyll council by-election scheduled for October 29. The party was created by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe following a split with Nigel Farage’s movement. The contest follows the passing of independent councillor and former Argyll and Bute provost Dougie Philand, prompting the vacancy.
Love will compete against candidates from the SNP, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, Independence for Scotland Party and an independent. Restore Britain has previously contested seats in England, notably through its Great Yarmouth First affiliate, which swept ten Norfolk County Council seats in May. The Mid Argyll race will test the party’s appeal among Scottish voters.
How this story developed
- Sep 3 Richard Tice condemns Chinese imports while Reform UK merch made in China is on sale
- Sep 4 National Rally leader Jordan Bardella delivered an English speech at Reform UK’s gathering, emphasizing tighter ties with the British party and joint immigration control.
- Sep 4 Reform UK invited Bardella to speak at its Birmingham conference.
- Sep 6 West Midlands Police have issued a call for the protester to come forward to assist their inquiry.
- Sep 7 The memorandum was signed, moving the idea from conference discussion to a formal agreement.
- Sep 18 Liberal Democrat members say the party has stalled since its 2024 election surge and aim to adopt a more aggressive tone at this weekend’s conference.
- Sep 22 YouGov's latest seat-by-seat model indicates Reform UK would secure just 123 seats if a general election were called today, a sharp drop from a similar poll a year ago. Labour is forecast to lead with 241 seats, followed by the Conservatives at 130, while the Liberal Democrats hold steady at 71. The results point to the first hung parliament since the 2010 coalition. Reform also appears to be losing its high-profile MPs Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman back to the Conservatives. The party's decline follows recent scandals involving alleged off-the-books polling and the suspension of aides Dan Jukes and James Orr, prompting a Met Police investigation.
- Sep 25 A new YouGov poll shows Reform UK level with the Conservatives and behind Labour.
- Sep 27 The party has moved from internal frustration to publicly unveiling a health‑and‑economy platform at its conference.
- Sep 28 Lee Anderson announced a “whip round” to raise funds for the woman struck with a walking stick.
- Sep 30 The new “tough love” policy requires unemployed young people who can work to attend job centres every day and take part in work experience, training or community projects to qualify for a “Get to Work allowance”. After six months without employment, the allowance falls to a subsistence level at 70 % of the previous claim, and those who refuse to join receive no support. Critics, including Amnesty International and the Trussell Trust, argue the measures ignore the difficulties faced by impoverished youth and repeat austerity-era harms. The proposal arrives ahead of the Conservative conference in Birmingham, where youth unemployment remains a prominent issue. A review by former Labour minister Alan Milburn is due later this year.
- Oct 4 The proposal now includes a subsistence allowance at 70 % of the standard Universal Credit rate after six months.
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