Tory councillor's wife jailed for Southport riots tweet is set to be freed within weeks, close friend says
Lucy Connolly was imprisoned at HMP Drake Hall, Staffordshire after she pleaded guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred following last summer's Southport riots.
But now a friend of the mother and former childminder has shared a post to X saying Connolly will be 'with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand' this time next month.
The pal, who describes herself as a '"conspiracy" blonde', said: 'Missed a call whilst working today and not spoke to her for 2 weeks now... *HOWEVER* Happy to say that this time next month Lucy will be with a glass of Whispering Angel in-hand - And more importantly her family AT HOME.'
She concluded the post with, 'What a year it's been...'
Connolly was given a 31-month sentence in October after admitting to making her 'racist' post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The post, which she later deleted, said: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it.'
News of Connolly's scheduled release comes just two months after she lost an appeal to shorten her 31-month sentence.
The post, which she later deleted, said: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it'
Connolly had told the Court of Appeal in London she 'never' intended to incite violence and did not realise pleading guilty would mean she accepted she had. But her argument was rejected.
A number of public figures and politicians have spoken out since Connolly was handed her sentence claiming she is a victim of 'two-tier justice'.
Connolly's husband, Raymond, a former West Northamptonshire Conservative councillor, said on the day she lost her appeal: 'Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she will release 40,000 prisoners, some of them dangerous men on tag.
'Lucy has not been allowed out on tag and she has been denied leave to see our child who is struggling.
'Today, the court had the opportunity to reduce her cruelly long and disproportionate sentence, but they refused. That feels like two-tier justice.
'The British people know all this is not right. They have given an amazing £81,000 so far to Lucy's crowd-funder. Despite today's upsetting setback, Lucy gets courage from everyone's kind support.'
Mr Connolly had been a Tory West Northamptonshire district councillor but lost his seat in May. He remains on the town council.
Lucy Connolly, of Northampton, was arrested on August 6, by which point she had deleted her social media account. But other messages which included other condemning remarks were uncovered by officers who seized her phone.
Her X post was made just hours after killer Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls and attempted to murder 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, sparking nationwide unrest.
The former childminder was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court in October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred.
The Southport atrocity sparked nationwide unrest, with several people - including Connolly - jailed as a result.
Her tweet was viewed 310,000 times in three-and-a-half hours before she deleted it.
She later pleaded guilty to distributing material with the intention of stirring up racial hatred at Birmingham Crown Court and was sentenced to 31 months in prison in October.
But she told the Court of Appeal in May that she had no idea the full extent of what she was admitting, and that her solicitor Liam Muir had not properly explained what 'inciting violence' meant in the context of her tweet.
It was only when the judge was speaking at her sentencing hearing that it fully dawned on her, she said when applying to have her prison term reduced.
The case sparked international interest with the White House saying in May it was 'monitoring' Connolly's case.
It came as US officials said they had 'concerns' about free speech in Britain.
The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Reform MP in 'migrant' coastguard gaffe 'Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW'
Rupert Lowe, a former Southampton FC chairman, was elected as a Reform UK MP in 2022 but now sits as an Independent. He wrongly accused a charity rowing team of being 'illegal migrants' A charity rowing team was mistaken for "illegal migrants" by Rupert Lowe, a former Reform UK MP who now sits as an Independent. Lowe had posted a photo on Instagram showing a boat near wind turbines off the Norfolk coast, captioned: "Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW. Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing. If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported. Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW." However, The Telegraph revealed that the vessel in question was actually an ocean rowing boat crewed by ROW4MND, a team of four raising money for motor neurone disease (MND) by rowing from Land's End to John O'Groats. The crew - Matthew Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley - were contacted by the coastguard who asked if they could see a dinghy nearby. Mike Bates, a former Royal Marine and British record holder for solo rowing across the Atlantic, said it quickly became clear that the coastguard was referring to their own boat. "I looked to my right and there was maybe a dozen individuals on the shoreline staring at us," he said, reports the Express. There were no migrants After assuring the coastguard that they were not transporting migrants, the team continued their journey. However, a few hours later, they were contacted again when police requested a lifeboat to verify their identities. Eventually, a mate sent Mr Bates a screenshot of Mr Lowe's post, which he said provided them with "a moment of light relief". He added: "We found it hilarious. I've not been mistaken for a migrant before. The best comment was the one asking where the Royal Navy were when you need them. I'm a former Royal Marine, so the Royal Navy were on the boat." He went on to say: "But it was almost like a vigilante-style, people following us down the beach. They hadn't twigged that we were parallel to the shore for hours and not trying to land." 'Resolve and resilience' The team embarked from Land's End on 25 July and initially headed north into the Irish Sea before poor weather forced them to halt at Milford Haven in Wales. They then returned to Land's End and started again heading in the opposite direction - an experience Mr Bates described as "about us showing resolve and resilience and hope". Their journey is merely the first of four challenges over four years. The group plans to row from John O'Groats to Land's End next year, then from California to Hawaii in 2027 and New York to London in 2028, with an ambitious target of raising £57 million for MND research. So far, ROW4MND have raised £107,515 for their cause. Mr Bates declared: "We're rowing for hope, we're rowing to find a cure, and hopefully we'll raise £57 million. We certainly will if MPs keep talking about us. Maybe Rupert will give us a donation."
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Charity rowing crew mistaken for Channel migrants by Norfolk MP
A charity rowing crew was contacted by the coastguard near Great Yarmouth after the local MP mistook them for 'illegal migrants'. Rupert Lowe, elected as a Reform UK MP but now sitting as an Independent, posted a picture on social media on Thursday night showing a boat near some wind turbines off the Norfolk coast. He included the message: 'Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW. 'Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing. If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported. 'Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW.' Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW. Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing. If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported. Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW. — Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) August 7, 2025 But the vessel pictured was in fact an ocean rowing boat crewed by ROW4MND, a team of four who are attempting to row from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND). The crew – Matthew Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley – said they had been contacted by the coastguard and asked if they could see a dinghy nearby. Mr Bates, a former Royal Marine and British record holder for rowing across the Atlantic solo, told the PA news agency it soon became clear the coastguard was asking about his own boat. 'I looked to my right and there was maybe a dozen individuals stood on the shoreline staring at us,' he said. After satisfying the coastguard that their boat was not carrying migrants, they continued, but several hours later were contacted again by the coastguard as the police had 'asked if they could send a lifeboat out to check who we were'. Eventually, a friend forwarded Mr Lowe's post, which Mr Bates said provided 'a moment of light relief'. He said: 'We found it hilarious. I've not been mistaken for a migrant before. 'The best comment was the one asking where the Royal Navy were when you need them. I'm a former Royal Marine, so the Royal Navy were on the boat.' He added: 'But it was almost like a vigilante-style, people following us down the beach. They hadn't twigged that we were parallel to the shore for hours and not trying to land.' The quartet set off from Land's End on July 25 and initially headed north into the Irish Sea before bad weather forced them to stop at Milford Haven in Wales. They then decided to return to Land's End and start again, this time heading in the other direction, which Mr Bates said had been 'about us showing resolve and resilience and hope'. The journey is the first of four challenges over four years, with the group aiming to row from John O'Groats to Land's End next year, from California to Hawaii in 2027 and New York to London in 2028, with a target of raising £57 million for MND research. So far, they have raised £107,515 for the charity. Mr Bates said: 'We're rowing for hope, we're rowing to find a cure, and hopefully we'll raise £57 million. 'We certainly will if MPs keep talking about us. Maybe Rupert will give us a donation.'
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Charity rowing crew mistaken for Channel migrants by Norfolk MP
Rupert Lowe, elected as a Reform UK MP but now sitting as an Independent, posted a picture on social media on Thursday night showing a boat near some wind turbines off the Norfolk coast. He included the message: 'Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW. 'Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing. If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported. 'Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW.' Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW. Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing. If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported. Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW. — Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) August 7, 2025 But the vessel pictured was in fact an ocean rowing boat crewed by ROW4MND, a team of four who are attempting to row from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND). The crew – Matthew Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley – said they had been contacted by the coastguard and asked if they could see a dinghy nearby. Mr Bates, a former Royal Marine and British record holder for rowing across the Atlantic solo, told the PA news agency it soon became clear the coastguard was asking about his own boat. 'I looked to my right and there was maybe a dozen individuals stood on the shoreline staring at us,' he said. After satisfying the coastguard that their boat was not carrying migrants, they continued, but several hours later were contacted again by the coastguard as the police had 'asked if they could send a lifeboat out to check who we were'. Eventually, a friend forwarded Mr Lowe's post, which Mr Bates said provided 'a moment of light relief'. He said: 'We found it hilarious. I've not been mistaken for a migrant before. 'The best comment was the one asking where the Royal Navy were when you need them. I'm a former Royal Marine, so the Royal Navy were on the boat.' He added: 'But it was almost like a vigilante-style, people following us down the beach. They hadn't twigged that we were parallel to the shore for hours and not trying to land.' The quartet set off from Land's End on July 25 and initially headed north into the Irish Sea before bad weather forced them to stop at Milford Haven in Wales. They then decided to return to Land's End and start again, this time heading in the other direction, which Mr Bates said had been 'about us showing resolve and resilience and hope'. The journey is the first of four challenges over four years, with the group aiming to row from John O'Groats to Land's End next year, from California to Hawaii in 2027 and New York to London in 2028, with a target of raising £57 million for MND research. So far, they have raised £107,515 for the charity. Mr Bates said: 'We're rowing for hope, we're rowing to find a cure, and hopefully we'll raise £57 million. 'We certainly will if MPs keep talking about us. Maybe Rupert will give us a donation.'
