Former Chelsea captains John Terry and Dennis Wise have publicly supported a policy proposed by Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe to ban foreign nationals from claiming benefits in the UK. Lowe, a former Southampton chairman, outlined the policy on social media, stating: "We should ban foreigners from claiming benefits, and remove migrants who are incapable of financially supporting themselves - use those many saved billions to slash tax for the British men and women keeping the economy running."
Terry responded with "100% yes" in the comments, while Wise added "200%". The endorsements have drawn criticism online, with one user remarking: "The odds are that if John Terry and Dennis Wise support something, it's probably best to be on the opposite side to them." Another called them "two idiots".
This is not the first time Terry has backed Lowe's positions; he previously supported a call to ban the burqa. Lowe, who left Reform UK to launch Restore, advocates for deporting illegal immigrants, protecting British culture, and restoring Christian principles.
Lowe's benefits proposal was recently debated in Parliament, where he claimed £10.1 billion of Universal Credit payments in 2024 went to foreign nationals. Labour MP Andrew Western dismissed the figure as a "complete conflation" and noted that many households with foreign nationals include British or Irish citizens.
