Rebecca Shepherd - Restore Britain Candidate, Makerfield

Rebecca Shepherd — Restore Britain Candidate, Makerfield By-Election 2026

Last updated: 24 May 2026 By-election date: Thursday 18 June 2026

Bio

Detail	Info
Age	53
Location	Wigan borough, Greater Manchester — lived there "most of her adult life"
Occupation	Small business owner
Businesses	Seven Stars Equestrian (equestrian equipment shop, also known as "Pony and Horse") + Equine Escapes CIC — a Community Interest Company providing equine-based activities for children with SEND needs
Personal	Has a child who receives SEND support themselves. Husband is Dutch-Indonesian
First-time candidate	Yes — this is her first ever election campaign
Party	Restore Britain (led by Rupert Lowe, launched Feb 2026)
Democracy Club ID	139187
Campaign email	makerfield@restorebritain.org.uk

How She Got Selected

Restore Britain's first Westminster candidate. Rupert Lowe personally announced her as candidate on X/Twitter on 18 May 2026 — the post got 29,805 likes and 5,549 retweets. Lowe campaigned alongside her in Makerfield the day after the announcement.

She was selected over Reform UK's rumoured candidate Tyson Fury — a fact Restore Britain supporters on Reddit were pleased about.

Key Statements & Quotes

"Understands first-hand the pressures facing local businesses and working families"
Concerned about "rising costs, excessive red tape, bureaucracy, and overregulation"
"Passionate advocate for improved SEND support"
24 May 2026: "We were expecting 40 people... then 150 showed up" — referring to a campaign event turnout exceeding expectations
Campaign slogan/framing: Restore Britain says she is "exactly the type of person we need in politics — not career politicians" (Rupert Lowe)

Policy Platform

Based on Restore Britain's official Makerfield candidate page and campaign material:

Safer streets — targeting what the party describes as "gangs of foreign men" who harass women in Ashton
Anti-overdevelopment — specifically in South Hindley and Winstanley
SEND reform — avoid overdiagnosis, invest in playgrounds, targeted support for children with additional needs. Criticises the current system for creating "a growing culture of dependency"
Anti-social behaviour crackdown — visible policing, parental responsibility
High street revival — free parking, abolish business rates, investigate vape shops/Turkish barbers for immigration and trading standards issues

Polling

Poll	Date	Shepherd (Restore Britain)	LAB (Burnham)	REF (Kenyon)
Survation/Sunday Times	23 May 2026	7%	43%	40%
Survation (early)	16 May 2026	—	45%	42%

At 7%, Shepherd's candidacy is widely seen as splitting the right-wing vote away from Reform UK. This is a critical factor in Burnham's narrow 3-point lead. Without Restore Britain in the race, Reform's 40% + Restore's 7% = 47%, which would put Reform ahead of Labour on 43%.

Local context: Reform UK won all 8 council wards in Makerfield in the May 2026 local elections with approximately 50% of the vote, suggesting strong ground-level organisation that Restore Britain will need to overcome.

Key Partnerships & Endorsements

Rupert Lowe — personally selected her, has campaigned with her in Makerfield, posted multiple times promoting her
Elon Musk — endorsed Restore Britain generally (24 May 2026), significantly raising the party's profile
Duncan Bannatyne (Dragons' Den) — reportedly endorsed her candidacy
Kate Hoey — has criticised Restore Britain's decision to stand a candidate in Makerfield, arguing it splits the right-wing vote (but no direct criticism of Shepherd herself)
Andrew Bridgen MP — active supporter, posted "Restore Britain is going to shock the establishment in Makerfield" (24 May)

X/Twitter Activity (24 May 2026)

Notable tweets mentioning or by Rebecca Shepherd / Restore Britain in Makerfield:

Account	Content	Platform
English Rose 🇬🇧	"Makerfield Restore Britain candidate, Rebecca Shepherd: 'We were expecting 40 people... then 150 showed up'"	X
Ben Jones 🇬🇧	"Rebecca Shepherd is stepping up as our next Restore Britain MP—let's bring her the same patriotic victory we saw in Great Yarmouth"	X
Rupert Lowe MP	"Rebecca Shepherd and Restore Britain can win in Makerfield and send the biggest shock in British political history" (22 May)	X
Restore Britain	"Hundreds of Restore Britain members out across Makerfield today" (23 May) — accompanied by campaign photos	X
Ian Matthews	"Restore Britain have swooped in and delivered a Masterpiece of policies from taxi drivers to hairdressers" (24 May)	X
VoxPopuli	"Patriot with a broken-leg is out today campaigning for Restore Britain in Makerfield" (24 May)	X
The Raging Bull	"Restore Britain is going to get thousands and thousands of votes in Makerfield. We are in this to win it." (24 May)	X
Rupert Lowe MP	"Strong support from Elon Musk for Restore Britain in the Makerfield by-election. There can be no better or stronger ally from across the pond." (23 May)	X
Andrew Bridgen	"Restore Britain is going to shock the establishment in Makerfield." (24 May)	X

Reddit Discussion

Most Significant Threads

Thread	Subreddit	Score	Comments	Sentiment
Rupert Lowe announces Rebecca Shepherd as Restore Britain candidate	r/ukpolitics	93	318	Mixed/Sceptical
Makerfield Candidate announced: Rebecca Shepherd	r/RestoreBritain	122	26	Supportive
Restore name their candidate for Makerfield by-election	r/reformuk	8	7	Neutral/Mixed
Restore Britain announces Makerfield by-election candidate	r/unitedkingdom	163	361	Mixed/Sceptical
First poll: LAB 43%, Reform 40%, Restore Britain 7%	r/ukpolitics	204	264	Analytical
Elon Musk backs Restore Britain	r/unitedkingdom	603	376	Overwhelmingly negative

Key Reddit Sentiment

r/ukpolitics (top comment, +153): "How does properly funding SEND fit with reducing public services/benefits/lower taxes?" — highlights the perceived contradiction between Restore Britain's small-state platform and Shepherd's SEND advocacy.

r/ukpolitics (+88): "Interesting to see how Reform perform with Restore on the ballot"

r/ukpolitics (+70): "How long before some choice Facebook posts of hers turn up?" — with reply "One week either side of the election"

r/ukpolitics (+21): "Clever politics — a working mum on benefits raising a child with special needs. Perfect candidate for working-class areas"

r/unitedkingdom (+196): "Andy Burnham will be overjoyed at the right vote split. Suspect it's sour grapes from Lowe not stepping aside for Reform"

r/unitedkingdom (+97): "A small business owner from the area sounds better than someone using the constituency for power"

r/reformuk (+8): "This has real potential to split the vote"

r/RestoreBritain (+36): Full tweet text and full-throated support

r/RestoreBritain (+13): "Get ready for backlash — her partner is Dutch with Indonesian father" — predicting internal party tensions

r/RestoreBritain (+4): "That SEND support is massive"

Notable Sceptical Comments

+3 on r/RestoreBritain: "Seriously lmao? They picked someone who gets government grants for ADHD kids to see ponies"
+1 on r/reformuk: "She runs a horse therapy business for ADHD kids paid by taxpayer. Married to [Dutch-Indonesian] guy. Hardly matches Restore rhetoric"
+56 on r/ukpolitics: "His [Burnham's] local popularity not showing up in polls — he only leads because Restore splits Reform"

SEND Policy — Detailed View

Shepherd's primary issue. Per a Substack piece by supporter Lance Turner (19 May), her approach:

"Zero tolerance for overdiagnosis" — believes too many children are being labelled
Targeted investment rather than blanket funding increases
Practical, community-led activities — her own Equine Escapes CIC is the model
Criticises the current SEND system for creating "a growing culture of dependency"

This is her strongest differentiator from other candidates and her most personal issue (she has a child receiving SEND support).

Controversies

No personal controversies found about Rebecca Shepherd herself. She has no prior political activity, no problematic social media history has been unearthed, and she has been described as a "clean candidate" by her supporters.

However, her party and association bring baggage:

Restore Britain is described by Wikipedia and Hope Not Hate as "far-right and right-wing"
Rupert Lowe's party was formed after his split from Reform UK, driven by a personal feud with Nigel Farage
Elon Musk's endorsement has drawn heavy criticism
The "neo-fascists back Restore Britain" thread on r/unitedkingdom (score 556, 721 comments) highlights far-right support for the party
Her husband being Dutch-Indonesian has been flagged by some Restore Britain supporters as a potential source of internal party tension

What It Means

At 7% in the polls, Shepherd is a kingmaker in a knife-edge race. Every vote for Restore Britain is a vote that doesn't go to Reform. Without her on the ballot, Reform UK would likely be polling ahead of Labour.
Rupert Lowe has explicitly stated Restore Britain is in Makerfield "to win it" — not just to split the vote. However, the 7% polling figure suggests that's aspirational rather than realistic.
Restore Britain sees this as their national launchpad. Makerfield is their first Westminster contest. A strong showing (2nd place, or close to 10%) would legitimise them as a national force.
Her SEND platform is a genuine differentiator from both Labour and Reform, but faces the obvious question: how does a small-state, tax-cutting party fund improved SEND provision?
Elon Musk's endorsement has raised Restore Britain's profile enormously, but may also be a liability with the local working-class electorate Musk's brand doesn't necessarily resonate with.
The right-wing vote split (Reform 40%, Restore 7%, Tory 2%) is the deciding factor in this race — and Rebecca Shepherd is the wildcard in that equation.