𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Rupert Lowe has launched a blistering attack on Reform UK – his former party – for selecting a Bangladeshi national as a council candidate, calling it “an insult to the British people”. Mr Lowe, the Great Yarmouth MP and leader of Restore Britain, launched the attack after Addy Mo Asaduzzaman, 23, who has leave to remain in the UK, was named as the party’s candidate for the Central Southsea ward in Portsmouth’s May 2026 city council elections.

In a social media post on Friday, Mr Lowe, presumably with one eye on the elections, said: “A Bangladeshi man, Addy Mo Asaduzzaman, is officially confirmed as Reform’s candidate in Portsmouth. Standing foreign nationals in our elections is an insult to the British people. There is finally a party that will ban foreigners from standing and voting – Restore Britain.”

Mr Asaduzzaman arrived in the UK on a student visa and studied for a Masters in electronic and electrical engineering at the University of Portsmouth. He told the BBC he was proud to call the city home and had “worked hard to build a life here” by following legal routes.

He added: “I find it insulting to see people breaking into the UK and immediately being put up in free accommodation, receiving allowances, working illegally and accessing free education while I have done everything the right way.”

The announcement triggered a backlash on social media, with some Reform supporters claiming “non-Brits should not be allowed to stand” and “no foreigner should hold any position of power in this country”. Several said they were reassessing their support for the party.

Councillor George Madgwick, Reform’s Portsmouth group leader, hit back at the critics, describing the comments as “frankly disgusting” and the abuse as “appalling”. Mr Asaduzzaman represented “the kind of migration we want” – people who pay to come here, are educated, work full time, pay taxes, integrate and help the community, Mr Madgwick added.

The selection reaffirmed Reform as “the antidote to the far right”, he stressed.

UK law permits certain non-British citizens, including eligible Commonwealth citizens or those with indefinite leave to remain, to stand for election as councillors or MPs. The Central Southsea seat is currently held by Labour.

Mr Lowe was elected as a Reform UK MP in 2024 but was suspended by the party in March 2025 over allegations of bullying in his parliamentary office.

He denied the claims, which he called vexatious, and later quit the party. He now leads Restore Britain, which he has positioned as taking a tougher stance on immigration.

Reform UK – led by Nigel Farage – has been contacted for comment.