David Vance SubstackRead More
Did you see that the world’s wealthiest man, Elon Musk, has once again posted on-line support for Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain? It’s not the first time that Musk has said positive things about Restore and he regularly retweets posts from Lowe and his lieutenants. But beyond the social media world, does this actually matter? Will it have any real impact in the looming Makerfield by-election?
You see here in the UK with our first-past-the-post system, insurgent parties need disciplined campaigns, strong candidates, and broad appeal to win—assets that even billionaire retweets do not instantly supply.
Political endorsements carry weight when they actually shift a race’s trajectory, not merely reinforce existing loyalties. Yes, Musk’s intervention has generated some headlines around the Makerfield by election and that is no bad thing. Yet British elections are ultimately decided by local canvassing, candidate quality, and consistent messaging over time. A temporary visibility spike can definitely help but is it a substitute for the hard slog of politics?
That said, Elon Musk’s track record should not be entirely dismissed. His involvement lends an aura of seriousness, generating potentially further media interest in a right-wing field that includes Reform UK. In a fragmented landscape chasing similar voters, even short-term surges in polls and profile can create real momentum. But will it? Let’s see what the next opinion poll shows but this is what the last one showed us.
Restore supporters dismiss this as an establishment poll designed to weaken them. They appear to believe their support is around 24% based on their canvas numbers,
There is also a risk for Restore Britain in the double-edged nature of the Musk brand. To his fans, he embodies anti-establishment disruption and free speech. To critics—and many swing voters—he appears unpredictable, foreign, and divisive. A party positioning itself as patriotic, serious, and focused on core national issues has to tread tread carefully not to seen as puppets of Musk.
Over-reliance on an American tech billionaire could also make it seem like a personality-driven sideshow rather than a credible party. Restore Britain’s core platform—large-scale deportations, death penalty referendum, BBC defunding, burqa ban, and strong anti-woke stance—already court controversy. Musk’s endorsement may just further intensify that polarisation.
Just for clarity, I agree with much of Restore’s policy and they put pressure on Reform to toughen up.
The simple truth is that British politics still rewards the daily grind over the viral moment. In less than four weeks we will all see the impact of Musk and Restore. Both seems to realise that Restore may end up getting sufficient votes to stop Reform from beating Andy Burnham and that will make no real difference.
I’m not so sure about that but we are all going to find out!
