"Oh No! Not Another One!" – Restore Britain Launches
Political chaos and disappointment will endure until we confront the role of the state
We have had major political crises in the last decade: a chronic testing of our constitution nearly to destruction over how we left the EU, then the acute crisis of the pandemic. But today’s sprouting of new political parties as the governing party looks set to jettison a failing Prime Minister - again - is a new kind of chaos.
What’s going on and why? Libertarian ideas provide answers.
On the centre‑right, we now have Reform UK as the main pole, Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain, Ben Habib’s Advance UK and Laurence Fox’s Reclaim, all competing with the Conservatives. Meanwhile, I read today that Labour rebels are lining up John Healey, the Defence Secretary, as a “unity candidate” to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership. Brenda from Bristol’s “Oh no! Not another one!” is now the cry of our age.
Whether it is the launch of a new party or a plan to change leader, each of these projects promises that, this time, the right strongman with the right brand will finally “take back control” and fix a country that feels broken.
What if the real problem is not which faction or personality wins the next round of musical chairs but the nature and scale of the modern British state itself? The institutions, incentives and fiscal realities any prime minister faces make failure the norm and disappointment inevitable, regardless of whether you put Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage or Rupert Lowe behind the Despatch Box. We need deeper change.
