Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe praises far-right German AfD victory

When the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) swept to victory in the east German state of Saxony-Anhalt last Sunday, it sent a shiver down the spines of most European political parties. But in Britain, one party was elated.

The result in Germany put the AfD – who are designated “right-wing extremist” by German domestic intelligence – just short of an outright majority. Rupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain, was quick out of the blocks to send his best wishes. He posted on X: “A huge congratulations to our friends in the AfD – an inspiration for what Restore Britain can achieve.” The i Paper can reveal that for months, Restore has been quietly cultivating links with far-right parties around the world, including the AfD.

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Among these connections is Restore’s campaign director Charlie Downes, who travelled to Canada to attend a conference in Ontario organised by the Dominion Society of Canada, which is described by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network as “a white nationalist organisation”. Downes revealed on X that he was detained at the US-Canadian border for “a 20-minute long interrogation” by a patrol officer, but he was allowed into the country and gave a speech at the conference. He was supposed to be joined at the event by Martin Sellner – an Austrian who is one of Europe’s most prominent far-right activists. Sellner is permanently banned from entering Britain and was denied entry to Canada to attend the Dominion conference, instead addressing it via video-link. Sellner has lavished praise on Restore. Earlier this year, he said that it represented a “historic opportunity for genuine political change in England” and “has the potential to become an English AfD”. Lucy White, a high-profile British far-right activist and Restore member also spoke at the Ontario conference, with the event organisers posting a picture on X of her standing proudly alongside Downes. The Portugal summit was attended by Björn Höcke, the chair of the state branch of the AfD in Thuringia. In 2024, Höcke was found guilty by a German court of knowingly using a Nazi slogan in a speech and fined €13,000.

These entanglements have highlighted a distinct ideological divergence within the broader British populist landscape. Nigel Farage and Reform UK have been much more cautious than Lowe when it comes to the AfD, with Farage referring to the party in April as a “mixed bag” and saying he found its pro-Russian sympathies “hard to understand”. At the same time, the two factions have adopted contrasting tones toward domestic street demonstrations, such as recent masked protests in Dover, which Farage condemned as disgusting while Lowe praised the participants as justified patriots.

The hardening rhetoric from Restore coincides with wider domestic pressures affecting public services, including the NHS. While political figures debate radical alignments, the health service continues to grapple with immense systemic strain. According to data examined across Healthcare Management and Cover Magazine, the overall waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England rose following periods of fluctuating demand.

As the political fallout from international far-right alignments continues to reverberate through Westminster, attention will turn to how other populist groups respond to Lowe's open embrace of the AfD. Further developments are expected as parliamentary sessions resume and parties position themselves ahead of upcoming domestic electoral contests, testing whether voters reject or tolerate these emerging cross-border nationalist ties.