A co-founder of the British political party Restore Britain has come under fire after critics accused him of suggesting that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage had been "bought" by Jewish supporters, prompting renewed scrutiny of the fledgling party over allegations of antisemitism and ties to the far right.
According to a Telegraph report Thursday, Charlie Downes, 25, a co-founder and spokesman for Restore Britain, responded in February to a post by Farage on X in which the Reform UK leader wrote: "I can't be bullied. I can't be bought. I've stood for the same principles for many decades."
Rather than replying with text, Downes posted a photograph of Farage speaking at the launch of the Reform Jewish Alliance, Reform UK's Jewish supporters' group. The image showed Farage standing behind a podium bearing the group's logo, with a Star of David visible in the background.
Although Downes provided no caption, Jewish advocacy groups said the post invoked longstanding antisemitic tropes suggesting Jews secretly wield financial or political influence.
Alex Hearn, a spokesman for the advocacy group Labour Against Anti-Semitism, accused Downes of reviving "the oldest smear" against Jews.
"Restore Britain's spokesman insinuated that Nigel Farage had been bought by Jews — the oldest smear about money and influence, delivered as a picture so that nothing could be quoted back at him," Hearn told The Telegraph.
He also criticized Downes for previously stating that Restore Britain believes "Britain is a people defined by indigenous British ancestry and Christian faith," arguing that such a definition excludes Jews and other minorities regardless of how long their families have lived in Britain.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism, another British watchdog group, said there was "nothing unusual or sinister" about Reform UK having a Jewish supporters' organization, noting that political parties routinely establish groups representing veterans, ethnic communities and other constituencies.
"If Charlie Downes is suggesting that Reform or Mr. Farage have somehow been 'bullied' or 'bought' by Jews, would he say that veterans have done the same?" the organization said in a statement. "Or is it just Jews for whom this pernicious imputation is reserved?"
The group added that conspiracy theories alleging Jewish control over politics have historically been promoted by extremist movements ranging from the Soviet Union to Nazi Germany and called on Restore Britain to clarify the meaning of Downes' post or apologize.
The controversy adds to growing questions surrounding Restore Britain, a nationalist party founded by former Reform UK lawmaker Rupert Lowe after a public split with Farage.
Restore Britain began as a political pressure group in June 2025 before formally becoming a political party earlier this year. Lowe was elected to the British Parliament as a Reform UK candidate in 2024 but was expelled from the party following a highly publicized dispute with Farage.
Despite the split, Lowe said last weekend that he and Farage should work together to form what he described as a "patriotic government" after the next general election. Farage later said he was "open-minded" about discussions, although no formal talks have yet taken place.
Restore Britain has distinguished itself from Reform UK by advocating significantly tougher immigration policies, including the mass deportation of millions of migrants, including some who are legally resident in Britain.
The party has also repeatedly warned that white Britons risk becoming a minority in the coming decades.
Downes has previously described that prospect as "terrifying" and has argued that Britain should be defined by indigenous British ancestry and Christianity.
On Thursday, Downes also attacked Allister Heath, editor of The Sunday Telegraph, calling him "a traitor to the British people" after Heath published a column accusing Lowe of embracing white nationalist rhetoric.
Responding on X, Downes wrote that he made "no apology for demanding demographic security for my people in our own homeland" and accused Heath of being "an agent of the anti-white establishment."
Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe
(Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Billionaire Elon Musk, who has previously expressed support for Restore Britain, replied to Downes' post with a brief response: "True. Heath is a traitor."
Lowe also drew criticism this week during an interview on the BBC's Today program, when he declined to say King Charles III should be considered a white Briton because the monarch has one foreign-born parent.
Asked about reports defining white Britons as people whose parents were both born in the United Kingdom, Lowe said there were "different interpretations" of the term.
He has repeatedly warned that white Britons could become a minority by 2063, describing the trend as "demographic vandalism."
Restore Britain has rejected accusations that it tolerates extremism, saying media organizations are conducting a smear campaign against the party.
The scrutiny intensified after The Telegraph reported earlier this year that some of Restore Britain's supporters include white supremacists with links to banned neo-Nazi organizations.
Among those identified was Steve Laws, founder of the campaign group Remigration Now, which advocates the removal of all nonwhite and Jewish people from Britain.
Laws has publicly said he joined and donated to Restore Britain and has claimed to be in regular contact with Lowe's team, an assertion Lowe denies. He has also encouraged supporters to join the party to influence its policies from within.
Laws has made repeated comments praising aspects of Adolf Hitler's rule, saying that if he had lived in Germany in the 1930s he would have supported the Nazi regime because it had "some good policies." He has also cast doubt on the accepted death toll of the Holocaust, saying he questioned the credibility of the historical evidence while adding that he did not support killing people but favored removing them from Britain.
Restore Britain has not publicly disavowed all of the individuals cited by critics, while maintaining that allegations linking the party to extremism are politically motivated.