Restore Britain’s Makerfield candidate Rebecca Shepherd has come under fire after admitting in a Sunday interview that she had not read her own party’s 42-page Energy Security Outlook — handing Reform UK fresh ammunition to argue that the splinter party is costing the right a winnable by-election.
Clips from the YouTube interview with Vox Populi circulated rapidly online, with Reform UK supporters seizing on what they described as simplistic and underprepared responses from Shepherd, a 53-year-old local businesswoman from the Wigan area. Critics labelled her a “dud” and renewed their argument that every vote for Restore Britain on 18 June is effectively a vote to hand Andy Burnham his route back into parliament.
The timing is damaging. The first Survation poll of the contest, published in The Sunday Times, put Burnham on 43 per cent, Reform’s Robert Kenyon — an Army veteran and local councillor — on 40 per cent and Shepherd on seven per cent. On a generic ballot with no candidate names attached, Reform leads Labour by eleven points in the constituency — meaning the combined effect of Burnham’s personal popularity and Restore Britain’s presence in the race is the precise difference between a Reform gain and a Labour hold.
Restore Britain’s leader Rupert Lowe, himself a former Reform MP, pushed back strongly against the criticism, framing the campaign as a fight against the political establishment and arguing that on-the-ground enthusiasm matters more than polling snapshots. Shepherd’s supporters have echoed that defence, arguing her appeal lies in being a local resident without a political background rather than a polished media performer — and that her authenticity resonates with voters exhausted by professional politicians.
However, the interview episode adds to questions already swirling around Restore Britain’s candidacy. Groups including Hope Not Hate have raised concerns about alleged links between the party and more extreme elements, including activists with connections to Patriotic Alternative who are said to be campaigning locally. Restore Britain positions itself as a patriotic, anti-establishment alternative focused on immigration, energy costs and national sovereignty.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons to create a parliamentary seat for Burnham, who needs to win a Commons seat before he can mount a formal challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. Reform won all eight council wards in Makerfield at this month’s local elections with around 50 per cent of the vote — making it a seat they believe they should be able to take were the right-wing vote unified behind a single candidate.
With low turnout expected — the seat recorded just 52 per cent at the last general election — the margin for error is slim on all sides. Whether Restore Britain can convince voters it is a genuine contender rather than a vote-splitting exercise may prove the defining question of the campaign. Polling day is 18 June.
