The Mail on Sunday headline on 14 June, and the Daily Mail headline the following day, showcased a fierce attack on a political opponent. However, the traditionally Conservative-supporting title was not targeting Labour but Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain, a vehemently rightwing outfit that considers Nigel Farage's Reform UK too weak on deporting migrants.
Front Page Fury
"Restore Activists at 'White Supremacy Summit'," declared the front page, claiming supporters canvassing for Lowe's party before the Makerfield byelection attended an event hosting calls for "a white-only Europe." The Mail on Sunday's vehemently anti-Restore editorial was prominently displayed on its app, stating, "Anyone who really cares about Britain won't vote Restore," urging readers to back Reform instead.
Restore Britain dismissed the story as "totally irrelevant" and a "hit piece." The following day, the Daily Mail continued the assault with "Restore is the 'new home for neo-Nazis'," citing Lowe's comment that if Tommy Robinson wanted to join Restore, it was "up to him." A Reform source provided the killer quote for the headline.
Lowe's Reaction
Rupert Lowe saw the attacks as a sign of success. "Two Daily Mail front pages in a row abusing Restore Britain in the most spectacular fashion," he said. "We've got the buggers on the run." However, the prominence and strength of the stories caught the eye of senior figures in Westminster and the media, viewing it as a sign of how the rightwing press is reacting to the fracturing of the British right.
Reform figures believe that Restore's emergence, with its stark approach to deporting "millions and millions" of people, could push the Mail and other titles towards Reform as the acceptable option for their readers. The immediate driver was the pivotal Makerfield byelection, where Andy Burnham aims to return to parliament and challenge Keir Starmer for Labour leadership. While Burnham is the favourite, Reform is his challenger, and Restore could split the rightwing vote.
Inconsistent Approach
The approach to Restore by right-leaning media has not been consistent. Over the same weekend, the Telegraph ran a full-page feature interview with Lowe, where he railed against "woke creeps." While the Telegraph's politics have drifted rightward since Brexit, its imminent new owner, German media company Axel Springer, will define its political direction. The politics of Politico owner have also caused intrigue after running opinion pieces by Elon Musk and Viktor Orbán.
It remains unclear how Mathias Döpfner's company wants to position the Telegraph within Britain's rapidly fracturing politics. Senior figures among right-leaning titles acknowledge the messy political scene. "The whole landscape – from hard left to hard right – looks chaotic," said one.
Fractured Consensus
Current coverage is a far cry from the once united pro-Conservative approach. "What you've got is decades of essentially right-of-centre UK press backing the Conservative party, but now that rightwing consensus is being fractured," said Steven Barnett, professor of communications at the University of Westminster. "The Conservative party must be thinking: where is our support going to come from? If the Mail is flirting with Farage, come the next election, they're not going to be as full-throated in their support for the Conservatives. They're still feeling their own way in a new political environment, unsure where their readership stands."
Lowe suspects that established rightwing media outlets are rallying behind Farage. He has accused Farage of being part of the political establishment. "If you look at the mainstream media, it is now pushing Nigel," he told the Spectator earlier this year.
