Lucy Connolly, the mother jailed for inciting racial hatred following a social media post about the Southport murders, will be made a guest of honour at a Westminster debate on penalties for online speech.
The 41-year-old childminder, who was sentenced to 31 months in prison last October after calling for migrant hotels to be set on fire, is set to be released in August after serving 40 per cent of her term at HMP Peterborough. She will attend Parliament at the invitation of ex-Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, who has championed her case as part of a broader campaign on free speech and proportionate sentencing.
Lowe, now an independent MP for Great Yarmouth, launched a petition in June calling for urgent government review of “possible penalties for non-violent offences arising from social media posts, including the use of prison.” The petition has secured nearly 200,000 signatures, well above the 100,000 threshold required for parliamentary debate, though no date has yet been scheduled.
“Evidently, Lucy is better qualified to talk on this than all of us,” Lowe said after consulting with Connolly’s family about her attendance. “I look forward to welcoming Lucy and her family to Parliament. What they have been put through is abhorrent.”
Ten MPs have signed Lowe’s early day motion supporting Connolly’s case, including Conservative MPs Gavin Williamson and Andrew Rosindell, Labour MP Mary Glindon, and several Northern Irish representatives. Left-wing MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell briefly signed before withdrawing, both claiming administrative errors.
The Controversial Tweet
Connolly posted on X (formerly Twitter) on 29 July 2024, hours after Axel Rudakubana murdered three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. Her post read: “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.”
The tweet was viewed 310,000 times in three-and-a-half hours before Connolly deleted it. She was arrested on 6 August and charged three days later with publishing material intended to stir up racial hatred. The post came amid false online rumours that the Southport attacker was an illegal immigrant.
At Birmingham Crown Court in October, Judge Melbourne Inman KC said Connolly was “well aware how volatile the situation was” and had encouraged “activity which threatened or endangered life.” He noted evidence of racist tweets from her account both before and after the Southport attacks.
Connolly pleaded guilty to the charge, entitling her to a 25 per cent reduction from the minimum three-and-a-half-year term. She lost an appeal against her sentence in May, with the Court of Appeal ruling there was “no arguable basis” that her prison term was excessive.
Political Prisoner Claims
The case has become a flashpoint in debates over “two-tier justice” in Britain, with high-profile figures including Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, and Kemi Badenoch calling for Connolly’s release. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman described the sentence as “excessive” and claimed Connolly was victim of a “politicised two-tier justice system.
The controversy has reached international levels, with the Trump administration’s State Department confirming it was “monitoring” the matter after American political commentator Charlie Kirk pledged to elevate the case to the White House following an interview with GB News.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice, who visited Connolly in prison, revealed she had been left covered in bruises after what he called “politically motivated” mistreatment behind bars. He reported she was unexpectedly moved to a wing housing violent inmates, facing 23-hour lockdowns despite having an “immaculate record in prison.”
“I genuinely fear she is essentially a political prisoner, held effectively at the behest indirectly of the Prime Minister,” Tice warned, calling the conditions “inexplicable.”
Parliamentary Debate Looms
Lowe’s petition argues that “imprisoning individuals for posts on social media sets a dangerous precedent and raises wider questions about freedom of expression, proportionality in sentencing, and the misuse of limited prison resources.”
The petition reached 100,000 signatures in less than 24 hours after launch, with Lowe describing it as an “incredible effort” and declaring it “morally repugnant to imprison individuals for foolish social media posts, particularly a young mother like Lucy Connolly.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the sentence when questioned by Lowe at PMQs in May, stating: “Sentencing is a matter for our courts, and I celebrate the fact that we have independent courts in this country.
Personal Tragedy and Mental Health
Connolly’s legal team argued during her appeal that her emotional reaction must be understood in light of personal bereavement. Her son died 14 years ago when he was 19 months old following a hospital error, and news of the Southport murders reportedly triggered a resurgence of anxiety around his death.
During her appeal hearing via video link from HMP Drake Hall, Connolly said she did not understand that by pleading guilty she was accepting she intended to incite violence. “When I wrote that tweet there had been no violence and it was never my intention to cause any,” she told the court.
Her husband Raymond, a former Conservative councillor who lost his West Northamptonshire seat in May but remains on the town council, has spoken of their 12-year-old daughter “struggling” without her mother. Despite being eligible for Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) since November, Connolly has been denied permission for even a single overnight home visit.
Wider Context
The case has highlighted disparities in sentencing, with critics noting Connolly received a longer sentence than some convicted of physical violence during the post-Southport riots. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp observed that “people have received less time in jail – or no time – for actual physical and sexual assaults.”
Other social media cases from the same period saw similar sentences. Tyler Kay, 26, received 38 months for copying Connolly’s post, whilst Jordan Parlour, 28, was jailed for 20 months after calling for an attack on a hotel housing asylum seekers.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s Frank Ferguson said after sentencing: “Using threatening, abusive or insulting language to rile up racism online is unacceptable and is breaking the law. It is not an offence to have strong or differing political views, but it is an offence to incite racial hatred.”
As Connolly prepares for her Westminster appearance following her August release, the debate over online speech, proportionate sentencing, and claims of two-tier justice shows no signs of abating. Her case has become a rallying cry for free speech advocates whilst others maintain the sentence reflects the serious nature of inciting racial hatred during a period of national tension.
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