Monty Python and Fawlty Towers star John Cleese has thrown his support behind Rupert Lowe, saying he trusts the Restore Britain founder more than any other party leader.
The 86-year-old actor and comedian has become increasingly vocal in his backing of the politician, sharing several posts from Lowe and praising his campaigns on issues including immigration, free speech and grooming gangs. Responding to a picture of Lowe shared by an account called The English Crusader, Cleese wrote: “I trust this man more than any of the other leaders.”
Mr Lowe, who recently appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast, later thanked the actor for his support, saying it was “appreciated”. Cleese was previously a long-standing supporter of the Liberal Democrats and described himself as having “slightly left of centre” views in a 2011. However, in recent years, Cleese has become increasingly vocal on issues including immigration, cancel culture, free speech and Islam, while moving closer to Lowe’s political platform. In 2014, Cleese said Nigel Farage's former party UKIP was “enunciating something enormously important” by promoting a sense of national identity, although he said he was unlikely to vote for the party. He also said he supported immigration but expressed concerns about people arriving in Britain who “really don’t like our culture”.
The actor later said that London was no longer an English city, prompting then-Mayor Sadiq Khan to say Cleese sounded “like he’s in character as Basil Fawlty”. Cleese responded by accusing traditional British values of being under pressure from “Muslim belief systems” and criticized the use of the term “Islamophobia” to describe criticism of Islam. In recent days, Cleese has shared several posts from Lowe, including messages promoting Restore Britain’s campaign for an inquiry into grooming gangs. One post highlighted Lowe’s support for Marlon West, the party’s candidate in the Greater Manchester mayoral race, with Lowe saying he would “go to war with the Pakistani Muslim rape gangs”.
In another post, Lowe said: “If the size of the Muslim population continues to grow at its current pace, there won’t be a Britain left to restore.” Cleese previously criticized the BBC for what he described as insufficient coverage of Lowe’s crowdfunded investigation into grooming gangs. Lowe responded by calling Cleese “a patriot” and said his support for the inquiry was appreciated.
