The Reclaim Party is a

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

political party in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 2020 by British actor and political activist

Laurence Fox Laurence Paul Fox (born 1978) is a political activist and former actor, most well-known for playing the supporting role of DS James Hathaway in the British TV drama series '' Lewis'' from 2006 to 2015. A grandson of the actors Robin and Ange ...

, with funding from

Jeremy Hosking Jeremy John Hosking (born 20 July 1958) is a British businessman and political donor. Ranked number 351 in the Sunday Times Rich List 2019, with a net worth of £375 million, he is a shareholder in Crystal Palace F.C. and a noted railway e ...

Founding

In September 2020, Fox attracted funding for a new political party, provisionally called Reclaim, and dubbed "

UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest p ...

for

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

". It emerged in October 2020 that the party name had yet to be successfully registered with the

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

as there was a naming conflict with the "Reclaim Project" of Manchester, an established charity giving opportunities to working-class children. The name Reclaim Party was approved in February 2021 as an identity mark for Brexit Express, a previously registered party.

2021 London mayoral election

In March 2021, Fox announced he would stand in the

London mayoral elections The London mayoral election for the office of mayor of London takes place every four years. The first election was held in May 2000, and five subsequent elections have taken place. The latest mayoral election took place in 2021; it was initially ...

, in order to "fight against extreme political correctness" and to "end the Met's obsession with diversity and inclusivity". His candidacy was endorsed by

Reform UK Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded with support from Nigel Farage in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, advocating hard Euroscepticism and a no-deal Brexit, and was briefly a significant p ...

, who stood aside for him in the election, and

Nigel Farage Nigel Paul Farage (; born 3 April 1964) is a British broadcaster and former politician who was List of UK Independence Party leaders, Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2016 and Brexit Party#Leaders, Lea ...

. The major source of Fox's campaign funds was Brexit backer

, who, in the first quarter of 2021, gave the Reclaim Party more than £1,000,000 in cash and services. In the mayoral election, Fox finished in sixth place with 47,634 votes (1.9 per cent), losing his £10,000

election deposit In an electoral system, a deposit is the sum of money that a candidate for an elected office, such as a seat in a legislature, is required to pay to an electoral authority before they are permitted to stand for election. In the typical case, the de ...

2021 Scottish Parliament election

The party stood one candidate, Leo Kearse, in the

Scottish Parliament election Scotland has elections to several bodies: the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, local councils and community councils. Before the United Kingdom left the European Union, Scotland elected members to the European Parliament. ...

, held in May 2021. In Glasgow Pollok, Kearse received 114 votes (0.3 per cent).

North Shropshire by-election

Martin Daubney Martin Edward Daubney (born 22 June 1970) is a British commentator, journalist and former politician who was the deputy leader of the Reclaim Party from 2021 until August 2022. Daubney was a Brexit Party Member of the European Parliament (MEP) ...

, deputy leader of Reclaim from 2021 until August 2022, was the party's candidate in the 2021 North Shropshire by-election. Daubney is a former

Brexit Party Reform UK is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. It was founded with support from Nigel Farage in November 2018 as the Brexit Party, advocating hard Euroscepticism and a no-deal Brexit, and was bri ...

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) from 2019 to 2020, and a former journalist and editor. He finished seventh with 375 votes (0.98 per cent), losing his deposit. During the by-election campaign, a

Market Drayton Market Drayton is a market town and electoral ward in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is on the River Tern, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "D ...

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...

lor defected to Reclaim; this was the party's first representative in UK local government. In December 2021, newspapers reported Hosking would continue to fund the Reclaim Party.

References

{{Reflist, 2 2020 establishments in the United Kingdom Political parties established in 2020