On 30th June 2025, two new political parties launched in the UK: Advance UK, fronted by businessman Ben Habib, and Restore Britain, led by former independent MP Rupert Lowe. That both launches occurred on the same day is striking. That both men are former Reform UK colleagues (Habib former co-deputy leader; Lowe former MEP) is significant. That each are claiming to offer a better path forward than the party they left behind is telling. 

These launches raise an important question: when politics fragments, how do new parties distinguish themselves – not just ideologically, but visually and emotionally? In the case of Advance UK and Restore Britain, the difference lies not in policy but in branding. 

Habib’s Advance UK positions itself as a sober, technocratic corrective to political drift. Its messaging leans on concepts like ‘restoring trust’ and ‘building the future’. The colour palette is predictable. The logo – a stylised check mark – is clean but generic, more suited to a management consultancy than a political movement. The overall aesthetic resembles a corporate white paper: tidy, vague, and non-threatening. For a party born of frustration, its visual identity is oddly calm. 

Lowe’s Restore Britain takes a different approach. Its branding is stark, confrontational, and heavy with patriotic symbolism. The UK’s silhouette dominates the logo, while bold fonts evoke a kind of wartime austerity. Messaging is blunt – focused on immigration, cultural values, and law and order – and the design echoes this, with a sense of rigidity and defiance. For all its attempts at impact, however, the identity lacks modernity or emotional reach. 

Both parties were born from the same political moment. But has either articulated a clear visual identity? In a competitive landscape where attention is scarce, branding is not an afterthought. It is the front door of a political movement. In a crowded market, neither Advance UK nor Restore Britain has carved out a clear brand identity, nor have they built the infrastructure or credibility to rival Reform UK. Their launches feel reactive, not strategic. 

Any serious analysis must also consider the context: Reform UK, the party both Habib and Lowe defected from, remains the dominant player on the populist right. Reform’s visual identity is disciplined. The bright turquoise brand is instantly recognisable, clean, and consistent across platforms. Its logo – a circular badge with a right-facing arrow – echoes the look of a campaign button while also serving a subtle purpose: on a ballot paper, the arrow visually points toward the Reform UK box. Regardless of what one thinks of its politics, the branding is strategically effective. 

Then there are the smaller players already occupying this space. Laurence Fox’s Reclaim Party and David Kurten’s Heritage Party both emerged in 2020, each seeking to defend British values and culture. Reclaim leans into a moodier aesthetic, with emphasis on freedom of speech. Heritage opts for deep red and blue tones and traditionalist fonts, aligning visually with its focus on national sovereignty and moral conservatism. Their messages overlap with both Restore Britain and Advance UK, but their brands do not stand apart. Nor, crucially, have they cut through with the electorate. 

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) is something of an outlier, but not by much, with a more refined design. While not led by a Farage ally, it shares Reform UK’s instincts and is often aligned on issues like immigration. The question remains: does it truly offer something different, or is it just another variation on a well-worn theme? 

What unites all these parties is their similarity – not just in policy, but in audience, tone, and ambition. And yet, rather than merge into a single, coherent force, they splinter and duplicate. For years, it was said that the Left couldn’t win because it valued purity over unity. But here we see the Right making the same mistake: fracturing over personalities rather than consolidating for power. 

From a communications perspective, this is a cautionary tale. Voters are not brand-agnostic. Ideas matter, of course – but ideas without clear, consistent, and compelling presentation rarely travel far. Messaging must be sharp. Visuals must be distinctive. And everything must reinforce a party’s purpose and identity. 

The lesson is clear: if you want to be taken seriously – by voters, donors, or the media – branding cannot be an afterthought. It must be built in from day one. Because in today’s political arena, perception is power.