Charlie Downes
Charlie Downes | |
|---|---|
| Spokesman For Restore Britain | |
| Assumed office 2025 | |
| Leader | Rupert Lowe |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Campaigns Director For Restore Britain | |
| Assumed office 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charlie Fraser Downes June 2001 (age 25) Kent, England |
| Party | Restore Britain (since 2025) |
Other political affiliations | Reform UK (2024–2025) |
| Alma mater | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Known for | Political commentary |
| Website | cfdownes |
Charlie Fraser Downes (born June 2001) is an English political activist, writer and broadcaster. He has served as the Campaigns Director and Spokesman for Restore Britain, the political party led by MP Rupert Lowe, since it was established as a pressure group in 2025. He is also a contributor to the The European Conservative and the Daily Mail.
Early life and education
[edit]Downes was brought up in Kent, England.[1] He holds a degree in Politics and International Relations from Royal Holloway, University of London.[2]
Career
[edit]Writing and broadcasting
[edit]After graduating, Downes worked as a freelance writer and political commentator, contributing to outlets including TalkTV,[3] GB News,[4] the Daily Mail,[5] and The European Conservative.[6] He has also appeared on LBC.[7] He co-hosts Radio Britannia on GB News alongside Alice Grant.[8]
Downes maintains a personal website and a Substack publication, where he writes on British politics, culture, and national identity.[9]
2024 London mayoral election
[edit]In September 2023, Downes joined the campaign team of Andreas Michli, an independent candidate who stood in the 2024 London mayoral election. He served as Michli's campaign manager, and the campaign gathered over 26,000 first-preference votes.[10][11]
Reform UK
[edit]In September 2024, Downes attended Reform UK's national party conference, where he appeared in official party promotional content alongside party leader Nigel Farage. At a fringe event during the same conference, he called for Reform UK to adopt a policy of "remigration".[12]
Restore Britain
[edit]Downes co-founded Restore Britain alongside Rupert Lowe. He has served as the Campaigns Director[13] and Spokesperson for the organisation since its inception. The organisation launched as a pressure group on 30 June 2025 before registering as a political party on 13 February 2026.[14][15][16][17] The organisation describes itself as advocating for net-negative immigration, a smaller state, and the promotion of British national identity.[18][19]
Controversies
[edit]Ofcom complaints (2025)
[edit]In February 2025, Ofcom received 73 complaints following remarks Downes made during a debate broadcast on GB News, which complainants characterised as transphobic.[20] The conversation was based on a study which found children are 50 times more likely to suffer from “gender distress” than a decade before.[21]
Hope not Hate report (2025)
[edit]In February 2025, the UK special interest group Hope not Hate published a report labelling Downes as a "far-right activist" and noting that he had praised Enoch Powell and spoken at anti-migrant demonstrations. The report drew attention to his attendance at an event held in the House of Lords, sponsored by Conservative peer Lord Moylan.[12] The report documented that he had written that "remigration is a political and demographic necessity".[12]
Political views
[edit]Downes has described himself as a 'traditionalist' and has written on British national identity, sovereignty, and immigration policy.[9] He has argued that immigration levels should be reduced to "net negative" and has advocated for the reassertion of what he describes as a historically rooted British identity.[16]
Restore Britain, the organisation he co-founded, has been characterised as occupying a "right-wing to far-right" political position.[15][22][23]
References
[edit]- ↑ Downes, Charlie (23 April 2025). "CHARLIE DOWNES: On St George's Day, I'm proud to be a young Englishman". Mail Online. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Charlie Downes, Author at Wolves of Westminster". Wolves of Westminster. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Talk Archives". Charlie Downes. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "GB News Archives". Charlie Downes. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Charlie Downes: All their latest coverage". Daily Mail. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Charlie Downes". The European Conservative. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "LBC Archives". Charlie Downes. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ 'DANGEROUS' Zack Polanski SLAMMED with 'INSANE' Green Party policies as Brits issued WARNING. GBNews. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 "Home". cfdownes.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Episode 4 – Charlie Downes". rss.com. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Young, Max (1 June 2026). "Restore Britain's Campaigns Director Worked to Make Crystal-Toting Bodybuilder Mayor of London". Guido Fawkes. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Tory peer invites far-right activists into House of Lords". Hope not Hate. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Shipley, David (16 September 2025). "The public will not forgive Labour for its failure to stem illegal immigration". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- ↑ "Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe launches Restore Britain party". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Are New Right-Wing Parties A Problem For Nigel Farage?". Politics Home. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 "What Is Restore Britain? – with Charlie Downes". nickdixon.net. July 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Restore Britain (21 November 2025). Britain is Dying. Here's Why. | The Restore Britain Podcast. Retrieved 1 June 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Charlie Downes". Battle of Ideas. September 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Our Objectives". Restore Britain. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ Stanfield, Leah (7 February 2025). "GB News flooded with Ofcom complaints after explosive trans row". Daily Express. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Hayward, Eleanor. "Number of children with gender dysphoria rises 50-fold in a decade". The Times. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Reform, Reclaim, Restore: Keeping up with the UK's right-wing parties". Metro. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ "Restore Britain: is new far-right party a threat to Farage?". The Week. 6 May 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.