I think that it's Aphelandra squarrosa.

That was my immediate thought too. Is there a drain hole in the pot?

Reminds me of the Zebra plant ( Aphelandra squarrosa) but it could be Sanchezia (both are in the same family Acanthaceae ). Looks like the pot is too big unless you water very sparingly. I think giving it more light would benefit it greatly.

Good luck.

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK yes there is! and @hc mcdole I put it in the bigger pot because it was suffering terribly in a smaller pot before, and this was the next step larger so that's what I put it in. When I repotted it the roots were super wound up around the bottom of the pot so I pruned them. Now that that's been done I guess it could go back in the smaller pot! Do you think that's why the leaves keep falling off?

Root pruning will put some stress on the plant initially but it should generate new roots after a while if it was healthy. The stem and few leaves look good enough but the overall look says it has some problems (light/watering issues would be the most obvious things to look at).