Independent MP Rupert Lowe has donated £1,000 to a motor neurone disease charity after acknowledging he mistakenly identified their rowing crew as “illegal migrants” off the Norfolk coast.
The Great Yarmouth MP confirmed the donation on Friday morning, hours after his Thursday evening social media post sparked a major emergency response involving coastguard, police and lifeboat services.
“Good news. False alarm! The unknown vessel was charity rowers, thank goodness,” Mr Lowe posted on X, formerly Twitter. “As a well done to the crew, I’ll donate £1,000 to their charity – raising money for MND. Keep going, and watch out for any real illegal migrants!”
Original Alert Triggered Major Response
The incident began on Thursday evening when Mr Lowe posted a photograph of what he believed to be a migrant vessel near wind turbines off Great Yarmouth, writing: “Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW. Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing.”
The MP, who sits as an independent after being suspended from Reform UK in March, had vowed to use “every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported” if they proved to be illegal migrants.
Instead, the vessel was an ocean rowing boat crewed by Row4MND – a four-person team attempting to row from Land’s End to John o’Groats to raise funds for motor neurone disease research.
Crew Takes It in Good Humour
Mike Bates, a former Royal Marine and British record holder for rowing solo across the Atlantic, said the crew found the mix-up “hilarious” when they discovered what had happened.
“I’ve not been mistaken for a migrant before,” Mr Bates told reporters. “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.”
The crew – comprising Matthew Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley – had been contacted multiple times by the coastguard following Mr Lowe’s alert. Police officers were also spotted waiting on the beach, with Mr Bates describing it as “almost like a vigilante-style, people following us down the beach.
MP Remains Unapologetic
Despite acknowledging his error and making the charitable donation, Mr Lowe remained defiant about his actions, stating he made “no apologies over being vigilant for my constituents.”
“We received a huge number of urgent complaints from constituents. I make no apologies over being vigilant for my constituents. It is a national crisis,” he posted, adding: “No mass deportations for the charity rowers, but we definitely need it for the illegal migrants!”
The MP’s office had contacted lifeboat crews along the coast attempting to alert them to what he believed were migrants attempting to enter the country illegally.
Charity Responds Graciously
Row4MND responded to the incident with good humour, posting on social media: “Over the past two weeks they have faced big waves, high winds, route changes and Storm Floris, but being shopped as illegal immigrants by a sitting Member of Parliament really takes the biscuit.”
The team invited Mr Lowe and his supporters to “put their pitchforks back in the middle ages for a few moments” and redirect their energies towards helping raise £57 million for motor neurone disease research.
“Pop an appropriate donation in at the link in our bio, then round up your army of disciples,” they wrote, signing off with “#sillysausage #row4mnd.”
Ambitious Fundraising Mission
The rowing crew had set off from Land’s End on July 25, initially heading for the Irish Sea before bad weather forced them to change direction. They plan to complete the return journey next year, with future challenges including rowing from California to Hawaii in 2027 and New York to London in 2028.
Their encounter with Mr Lowe’s vigilance has, if nothing else, brought additional publicity to their cause. As Mr Bates noted: “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.”
Political Context
The incident comes as Mr Lowe continues to sit as an independent MP following his suspension from Reform UK in March over allegations of workplace bullying and verbal threats, which he denies. The Crown Prosecution Service later dropped the investigation, finding insufficient evidence.
Mr Lowe, who claimed he was ousted because party leader Nigel Farage feared he was becoming too influential, has since founded his own political organisation called Restore Britain.
The mix-up has drawn criticism from political opponents and social media users, with one commenting that the MP had wasted emergency services’ time. However, the incident has ultimately resulted in positive publicity for the Row4MND campaign and a £1,000 boost to their fundraising efforts.
As the charity rowers continue their journey around Britain’s coast, they can at least count on having gained one unexpected supporter – even if the circumstances of their meeting were rather more dramatic than anticipated.
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