John Cleese says he trusts Rupert Lowe above rivals

John Cleese has said he trusts Rupert Lowe more than any other party leader, backing the Restore Britain politician in a social media post that Lowe later publicly thanked. The Monty Python star’s endorsement marks a sharp shift from his earlier Liberal Democrat support toward concerns over immigration, free speech and Islam.

Key Takeaways

• The 86-year-old Monty Python and Fawlty Towers star wrote that he trusts Rupert Lowe “more than any of the other leaders.”
• Lowe, leader of fledgling Right-wing party Restore Britain, thanked Cleese and said the support was “appreciated.”
• Cleese previously backed the Liberal Democrats and described himself as slightly left of centre.
• His recent posts cite immigration, cancel culture, free speech and Islam as driving concerns.
• In February he called BBC coverage of Lowe’s crowdfunded rape-gang inquiry “absolutely disgraceful.”

What did John Cleese say about Rupert Lowe?

According to reporting from The Telegraph, Cleese replied to a picture of Lowe posted by an account called The English Crusader.

The actor wrote: “I trust this man more than any of the other leaders.” Lowe later thanked Cleese “for his support,” adding that it was “appreciated.”

Cleese has become increasingly vocal on social media in endorsing the Restore Britain politician and has reshared several of Lowe’s posts in recent days.

Why has Cleese aligned with Restore Britain?

Sources say Cleese has backed Lowe’s Right-wing party amid concerns over the impact of immigration, cancel culture, free speech and Islam.

Among posts he reshared, one quoted Lowe saying that if the Muslim population continues to grow at its current pace, “there won’t be a Britain left to restore.” Another featured Lowe pledging that Marlon West, Restore Britain’s candidate to replace Andy Burnham as Mayor of Greater Manchester, would “go to war with the Pakistani Muslim rape gangs.”

In February, Cleese said it was “absolutely disgraceful” that the BBC had not given more attention to a crowdfunded investigation led by Lowe into rape gangs. Lowe replied: “John Cleese is a patriot. His support for our rape-gang inquiry is appreciated.” The BBC said it had frequently covered grooming gangs, including the national statutory inquiry.

How have Cleese’s political views shifted?

Formerly a long-standing Liberal Democrat supporter, Cleese told The Telegraph in 2011 that his “inclinations are slightly Left of centre.” He praised the coalition government and David Cameron’s “intelligence,” appeared in Lib Dem party political broadcasts, and turned down a life peerage from Paddy Ashdown in 1999.

In a 2014 Telegraph interview he said UKIP was “enunciating something enormously important” about identity but that he was unlikely to vote for them. He said he was “all for immigration” but worried about “people who come here who really don’t like our culture.”

In 2018 he said he was relocating to Nevis in the Caribbean and claimed London was no longer an English city—comments that drew a rebuke from Mayor Sadiq Khan. Cleese later dismissed Khan as a “silly little man,” adding that “traditional British values are under attack from Muslim belief systems.” For more lifestyle and property-related coverage, see BlasterPost’s Luxury Real Estate & Dream Homes section.

Cleese has also argued that criticism of Islam is often labelled “Islamophobia,” proposing “Islamosceptic” instead and saying a difference of opinion is not a phobia.