Restore Britain voters in Makerfield ‘don’t know who their candidate is’

Voters in Makerfield leaning towards the hard-right Restore Britain were quizzed about the party’s local candidate, who has remained elusive event to many supporters.

Residents in the ward on the outskirts of Wigan, Greater Manchester, are preparing to head to the polls tomorrow in the bitterly contested race for the by-election seat.

The election result could be decisive for the future of Labour under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – whether or not the Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham wins or not.

Reform UK’s leader Nigel Farage has previously said the party will throw everything it has at the by-election, with the right-wing group’s candidate Robert Kenyon now trying to vie voters.

But the right-wing vote could be split by Restore Britain, an ultra-nationalist political group with extreme views on immigration, which has gained traction in recent months, becoming a headache for Reform.

Restore Britain, led by its only MP, Rupert Lowe, has put forward Rebecca Shepherd as its Makerfield candidate, a 53-year-old local businesswoman

But when residents planning to vote Restore appeared unsure who the candidate is when quizzed about the upcoming election.

Local man named Sean, 56, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: ‘It’s a lady, I think.

‘I don’t know much about her. I’m voting because of what the party stands for. And because of Rupert Lowe.’

Adam Rayley, 35, a roofer, admitted he doesn’t ‘know much about the candidate.’

He said: ‘I just feel like Restore’s views are most like my own. They have the same views.

‘I’m not racist, but I feel like the immigrants coming in now aren’t checked. Our borders are wide open and we’ve got our own families and homes to care for. I’m struggling myself, I’m a full-time carer for my girlfriend, and we’ve got three kids altogether. And there’s nothing for us. I do feel strongly on that.’

Joanna Lapniewsky, 64, an ex-Army officer and cleaner who works at the Restore HQ at the local community centre, said she has never seen the candidate but has been told that ‘she’s really down to earth.’

Only one person told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they have seen Shepherd from a distance on her way to ‘stables somewhere in Wigan.’

Residents said leaflets stuffed through their letterboxes have mainly come from Reform and Labour.

Polling stations in Makerfield will open at 7am and close at 10pm on Thursday, with a nerve-wrecking count ahead for the town.

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