Reform’s first Vale of Glamorgan councillor defects to Restore Britain

Martin Shipton

A councillor who was elected as Reform UK’s first member of Vale of Glamorgan council says the party has lost its way and has defected to Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain.

Brandon Dodd won a by-election in the Illtyd ward of Barry in September 2025, ahead of Plaid Cymru and with Labour pushed into fourth place behind the Conservatives.

In a statement addressed to residents of his ward, he writes: “I am writing to confirm my decision to resign from Reform UK and join Restore Britain. I remain fully committed to serving the residents of Illtyd and will continue in my role as your county councillor under Restore Britain.

“I joined Reform UK last year full of hope. I believed it would be the party for people who were disillusioned with politics, politicians and the broken establishment, a real voice for ordinary hard-working families who feel ignored and betrayed by Westminster and Cardiff Bay.

“Instead, over the short time I have been a member, Reform has morphed into exactly the same as if not worse than the tired old parties it once claimed to oppose. It now stands for everything and nothing. Empty slogans, broken promises and the same old establishment games.The party I joined no longer exists.

“Over the past few weeks, I have become increasingly concerned by developments relating to Senedd candidates and internal matters within Reform UK. These issues have made it crystal clear that I can no longer, in good conscience remain a member. This was not an easy decision but staying would mean betraying the very principles that drove me into politics in the first place.

“During my time with Reform, I was repeatedly overlooked and treated as little more than a placeholder for future candidates. Many others have experienced the same neglect and unfulfilled promises. As someone who values strong personal morals and integrity above all else, I found myself with neither the freedom nor the support needed to fight effectively for the people I represent.

“My priority has always been and will always remain the residents of Illtyd, not party games or internal egos. That is why I am joining Restore Britain. It is proving to be the bold, honest and principled alternative that Reform promised but failed to deliver.

“I aim to work diligently to build this new party and ensure it does not follow the same destructive path as Reform. We will not always agree on everything, but our country desperately needs a better future and a political vehicle that will stick firly to its core values and principles without compromise.

“Nothing changes for you on the ground. I will continue holding my surgeries, handling casework and fighting hard for the issues that matter most to our community.”

Restore Britain was founded by businessman Rupert Lowe, who was elected as Reform’s MP for Great Yarmouth in Norfolk at the 2024 general election.

Lowe quickly fell out with Reform leader Nigel Farage and was accused of threatening physical violence against the party’s then chairman Zia Yusuf. A complaint was made to the police, but following an investigation it was confirmed that Lowe would face no charges.

Hardline

Restore is more hardline on immigration than Reform and published a paper suggesting that “the mass deportation of all illegal migrants could be achieved lawfully, logistically, and efficiently within as little as two years”.

The party proposes a “Great Clarification Act” to reassert parliamentary sovereignty over the courts, the repeal of the Equality Act and Human Rights Act, withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, and the abolition of Britain’s asylum system in its current form.

Operationally, the paper recommends a two-pronged approach: voluntary departures reaching around half a million or more per year driven by a hostile environment, and between 150,000 – 200,000 enforced removals per year.

The paper estimates that the entire illegal migrant population could be removed within three years, likely faster.

Last week Nation.Cymru reported how a neo-nazi podcaster from Pembrokeshire who calls himself Sven Longshanks is among a number of like-minded fascists who have joined Rupert Lowe’s new party Restore Britain.

British Nazis

According to the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, some of the most active British Nazis of the past 20 years are rallying behind Restore Britain, including James Allchurch, alias Sven Longshanks.

Allchurch was jailed for two and a half years at Swansea Crown Court in May 2023 for distributing racist and antisemitic content.

He had denied 15 counts of distributing a recording stirring up racial hatred, but was found guilty of 10 charges and acquitted of five.

Sentencing him, Judge Rees said the offending amounted to a “stain on our humanity”.

Allchurch uploaded offensive podcasts to his website, Radio Aryan, since rebranded Radio Albion, between 2019 and 2021.

During the trial, the jury was played 15 episodes of the podcast which included talk about hanging black and Jewish people, as well as playing a song advocating racial segregation.

Vale of Glamorgan councillors from other parties said Brandon Dodd had made little impact at the council since being elected, with one saying he had never heard Dodd speak in a meeting and another that he had said no more than a few sentences at most.