Rupert Lowe and the “rowers” haha

Asylum seekers arriving in small boats are not eligible to claim universal credit as far as I understand.

Of those people claiming Universal approx 37.8% will be in employment (ie low paid work) and around 50% not in work due to long term sickness, disability or caring responsibilities ( ie looking after children, partners or elderly parent).

Of those claiming Universal Credit around 15.5% to 16% at any given time are non British citizens, (i.e. migrants) while roughly 84% to 84.5% are UK, Irish or Right of Abode citizens under Common Travel rules.

Well foxie apparently the number of foreigners claiming benefits hit a fresh high just days after Reform promised to ban claims by overseas nationals.

So something doesn’t add up from your inspirational figures!

Almost 1.3 million migrants were claiming Universal Credit (UC) in May 2026, according to figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions, roughly 20,000 higher than a year ago.

Don’t spoil a good story with facts foxie 🙂

Allsorts but things have happened, there's been a 43% reduction in people arriving by small boat since last year despite the smugglers using much bigger boats. 70K people with no legal right to be in the UK have been removed this year. There has been more police success in tracking down the people smugglers and arresting them. More has happened with this Labour government than in the years of Conservative government, who let the situation grow with their complete inaction.

I think more like Sarnia on him. He does address issues such as illegals that concern most people but nothing is done.

He also wants to deregulate gun ownership because, apparently, his father was very upset about having to hand in his guns after Dunblane.

I’m not sure I like the expression virtue signalling but in his case that’s what he’s doing. The donations operate as publicity stunts and photo opportunities for him.

His latest tweet about his latest donation:

I get accused of many things, but I am quite evidently not in politics for the money.

Why the need to say that? Many people donate to charity quietly and privately without this fanfare.

What I don’t see him doing is any physical volunteering as many people do, giving their time freely. Instead of spending hours tweeting abuse for money he could do a regular shift at a charity shop, food bank or other worthy cause.

A recent donor to Lowe’s Restore party said “the world needed another Hitler”. That’s who he is accepting money from. He claims he is not in politics for the money but will happily accept it from a Nazi.

Unlike poor people supporting Farage I do understand why some people support Lowe. I know someone who is from a farming family and is very much into country sports and feels that no one supports and understands country folk in the way that Lowe does. She's also very much a traditionalist which I can relate too. Unfortunately it means that she ignores any Restore policies outside of that but it's because she feels somewhat persecuted by other parties. Much as I dislike Lowe the sight of him doesn't turn my stomach the way that Farage does [and that isn't just due to his physical appearance because Tice has the same effect on me, too].

Farage could do that with his £5million bung from Harborne. I wonder which charities he'd support. Gamblers Anonymous would be a good one considering Farage's links to Posh George and Reform's alleged links to Tether.bet.

His generosity does him credit but I find much of what he says too extreme for me. As a person he clearly has a caring side but as an MP he wouldn't get my vote.

The Pledge: Following his election in July 2024, Lowe committed to giving his monthly net parliamentary salary to a different local cause each month.

An MP's gross annual salary is now £98,559. As a very wealthy man he will be paying tax at 45% so the net amount would be £54,230.

He’s pension age so won’t be paying NIC.

(I wonder if he claims his State Pension? Days ago he called for an end to the triple lock so wants make pensioners poorer.)

Charities can claim Gift Aid from the government making the annual donations worth £67,787.

Lowe can then claim higher rate tax relief of £16,947 against his overall income.

The net cost to him is therefore £37,283 or just £3,106 per month.

He earns more than that a month constantly tweeting abuse on X. In June 2026, the latest MPs registration available, he earned £11,724.97.

His latest tweets include a picture of himself holding a Restore publication titled Mass Deportations; a call for the death penalty; a tweet abusing the British Dental Association for calling out his lies that migrants receive priority NHS dental care; and one complaining about the recent mobile phone alert about fire risk in which he says “I hate the Government so very much."

If I were a trustee of a Lowestoft charity I would rather obtain income by other means than from this hateful man.

Yes, so it would seem.