Restore Britain MP calls Dunblane massacre one murder

Rupert Lowe, the leader of the political party Restore Britain and the Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth, is facing widespread condemnation for describing the 1996 Dunblane school massacre as "one murder." The comments were made during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which was released on July 9, 2026, and have been denounced by politicians and a bereaved parent as deeply insensitive and factually inaccurate.

The exchange occurred as Lowe explained the United Kingdom's strict firearms laws to the host. Lowe stated that handguns were banned in the late 1990s "because there was a murder up in Dunblane." When Rogan asked for clarification, saying "One murder?," Lowe replied, "One murder." The Dunblane massacre, which took place on March 13, 1996, at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland, resulted in the deaths of 16 children, all aged five or six, and their teacher, Gwen Mayor. Twelve other children and three adults were wounded before the gunman, Thomas Hamilton, turned a weapon on himself. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history.

The remarks have provoked anger across the political spectrum in Scotland. Kenny Ross, whose daughter Joanna...