Rupert Lowe’s X earnings approach parliamentary salary
Restore Britain leader’s income from the social media platform has surged, raising questions about the influence of revenue-sharing schemes on political discourse.
Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, is on track to earn as much from the social media platform X as he does from his salary as a Member of Parliament. According to declarations in the register of MPs’ financial interests, Lowe has earned an average of £932 an hour for his posts since the start of the year, a figure more than double his average hourly earnings from the previous year.
His hourly rate has risen steeply in recent months, reaching £1,476 since the start of June. This surge is attributed to high engagement on posts regarding mass deportations and other political topics. If his current average earnings continue, Lowe would earn just over £93,000 in 2026, approaching the current MPs’ annual salary of £98,599. He could easily exceed that threshold should the higher rates of recent months persist.
Lowe’s total income from X since the 2024 general election has surpassed £105,000, with more than half of that amount earned in the first eight months of 2026. The platform’s revenue-sharing scheme pays premium subscribers based on post performance, a model that resulted in record payouts last year. Elon Musk, the owner of X, has repeatedly amplified Lowe’s posts, further boosting their reach.
Critics argue that the financial and reach incentive structure of X is shaping British politics with limited scrutiny. Ambrose Pym, a researcher covering the far right and technology, noted that the platform rewards division, effectively funding an MP that reflects the hard-right views of the billionaire. Pym stated that while scrutiny falls on other sources of foreign money in British politics, a US-based billionaire simultaneously paying and boosting an ideologically aligned British politician remains under-reported.
Lowe, who founded Restore Britain after leaving Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, describes the party’s key achievement as bringing mass deportations into mainstream politics. Recent posts have driven significant engagement, including one on mass deportations that received 1.3 million views and another on a potential burqa ban that garnered nearly one million views.
In response to questions about his accelerating earnings, Lowe maintained that he donates his net MP salary to local charities in his constituency of Great Yarmouth. He told The Guardian that being a politician is the most expensive job he has ever had, suggesting his primary motivation is not financial gain.
