Rupert Lowe Calls Dunblane's 17 Deaths 'One Murder' as Critics Demand Apology

Q: Will Elon Musk withdraw his endorsement of Restore Britain after its founder's controversial Dunblane comments?

There is no evidence that Elon Musk has withdrawn his endorsement of Restore Britain over Rupert Lowe’s Dunblane remarks. The available reporting shows Musk had publicly backed Lowe’s party, including promoting his posts on X and saying “Only Restore Britain can save Britain.” But in the material provided, there is no statement from Musk criticizing Lowe’s comments, distancing himself from Restore Britain, or reversing that endorsement. What is clear is that Lowe’s remarks triggered strong backlash in Britain. Politicians across parties, as well as relatives of Dunblane victims, condemned his description of the 1996 massacre as “one murder” as deeply offensive and disrespectful. The attack killed 16 children and their teacher, and it directly led to the UK’s handgun ban. That backlash, however, is not the same as evidence of a change by Musk. In fact, one of the sourced accounts says Lowe was due to meet Musk after the controversy, which suggests no immediate public break had occurred at that point. So the best answer is that Musk may face pressure to reconsider, but based on the information currently available, he has not withdrawn his endorsement.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 9

Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain and MP for Great Yarmouth, described the 1996 Dunblane school shooting as "one murder" on Joe Rogan's podcast while attacking the UK's handgun ban.
The remark referred to a massacre in which 16 children and their teacher were killed, with another 12 children and three adults shot or injured, after gunman Thomas Hamilton entered Dunblane Primary School.
Stephen Kerr, a Conservative MSP, called Lowe's comments "astonishingly insensitive" and said reducing Dunblane to "one murder" diminished one of Scotland's darkest days and warranted an apology.
Keith Brown, the local MSP, said Lowe was "a stain on our politics" and pointed to the Snowdrop campaign after Dunblane, which drove some of the world's strictest firearms laws and a ban on most private handguns.
The backlash lands on Lowe as he leads Restore Britain, a movement he founded after Reform UK suspended him in 2025 over alleged threats against then-chairman Zia Yusuf; prosecutors later declined to charge him.