Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Robyn Vinter

‘Two-tier Britain’: how Lucy Connolly became a cause célèbre for the right

Lucy Connolly.
Nigel Farage plans to raise Connolly’s case with allies of Donald Trump on a visit to the US Congress this week. Photograph: Heathcliff O’Malley/Camera Press/Telegraph

‘You can’t have an opinion, you’ll get locked up like that Lucy Connolly,” says a shopper in Nuneaton town centre, giving an indication of how well known this childminder from Northampton is in some circles.

Connolly, the wife of a Tory councillor, unexpectedly became a cause célèbre for the far right last year when she was jailed for posting “set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards” on social media, after falsely believing the Southport attack was carried out by a Muslim asylum seeker.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.