UK Independent MP Rupert Lowe has ignited controversy with anti-migration comments targeting people of Indian and Pakistani origin in Britain, despite the risk of being labelled racist. In a post on X, Lowe stated, "I don't believe we should import millions of Pakistanis and Indians to do jobs that unemployed Brits should be doing." He added, "If that makes me racist, then so be it."
Local Demographics Contradict Claims
According to the Office for National Statistics 2021 Census, Lowe's constituency of Great Yarmouth has only 907 residents of Indian and Pakistani origin — 786 Indian and 121 Pakistani. That figure represents less than 1% of the town's 99,750 population. The unemployment rate in Great Yarmouth stands at 9.8%, nearly double the national average of 5.4%.
National Employment Data
Data from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford shows that nationally, 20% of employee jobs in December 2025 were held by non-UK nationals — 6.5 million jobs. This share has increased steadily from 12% in 2014. Between January 2021 and December 2025, Indian and Nigerian nationals saw the sharpest increases in UK employment. However, these workers are not displacing Britons; they are concentrated in sectors with chronic staffing shortages.
Healthcare Sector Dependence
A quarter of jobs held by non-EU nationals in December 2025 were in the health and care sector. During this period, 161,000 Skilled Worker visas were granted to non-EU care workers alone. The Home Office added care workers to the visa eligibility list precisely because the sector could not fill vacancies domestically.
Misleading Benefit Claims
Lowe has previously claimed that "1.3 million foreign nationals" are claiming Universal Credit. The actual figure is 1.1 million non-UK nationals, representing 13% of Universal Credit recipients — lower than their 16% share of the working-age population. Migrants on work, study, or family visas are generally barred from claiming benefits under the "No Recourse to Public Funds" rule.
Political Background
Lowe, the Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth, was elected as a Reform UK candidate in July 2024 before having the party whip suspended in March 2025. He now leads the Restore Britain party and has a history of anti-immigrant rhetoric, including a December 2025 tweet stating: "I am sick of hearing that Britain was built by immigrants. No. No it was not. It was built by British men and women." His party has refused to condemn supporters who called for "total remigration" — the deportation of all non-white citizens.
