VerifiedBritish businesswoman and 2026 Makerfield by-election candidate
Rebecca Shepherd (Rebecca Lee Shepherd on the ballot paper) is a British businesswoman from the Wigan borough who stood as the Restore Britain candidate in the Makerfield by-election of 18 June 2026. It was the first parliamentary election the party had contested. She finished third of 14 candidates with 3,111 votes (6.84%).
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Candidacy
The party's leader, Rupert Lowe, announced her as its candidate in May 2026; local press gave her age as 53. According to the party, she has lived and worked in the Wigan borough for most of her adult life, where she has built and run her own small business, and her interest in support for people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) comes from her work with a community interest company.
The by-election followed the resignation of the Labour MP Josh Simons, which allowed Andy Burnham to seek a seat in the House of Commons. Burnham held the seat for the Labour Party with 24,937 votes (54.82%), ahead of Rob Kenyon of Reform UK with 15,696 (34.51%).
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