"Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is being feted in the US, where he met figures including a political appointee at the Department of State in Washington DC and a Congressman. The visit has prompted questions about how Robinson—a former member of the extreme-right British National Party (BNP) and a leader in recent decades of street protests that have often turned violent—was able to overcome a previous ban on entering the US."
"Given his multiple criminal convictions—include for fraud, violence, drug possession and attempting to enter the US in 2012 using a false passport—it is highly likely that US authorities will have intervened to allow him to enter on a discretionary basis."
"The Trump administration's hosting of Robinson was described as a wake-up call by Calum Miller, the Liberal Democrat MP and foreign affairs spokesperson. The government needs to include the US in their inquiry into foreign interference in UK politics, he said, referencing an ongoing independent review into foreign financial interference in the UK's political and electoral systems."
Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist and former BNP member with multiple criminal convictions, visited the US where he met State Department officials and a Congressman. His entry overcame a previous US ban, likely through discretionary authorization given his criminal history including fraud, violence, and attempted entry with a false passport. Robinson has rebranded as a self-styled journalist promoting anti-Muslim rhetoric and claims about UK free speech restrictions. British MPs, including Liberal Democrat Calum Miller, condemned the hosting and called for the US to be included in inquiries into foreign interference in UK politics, citing concerns about Trump and Musk's involvement in British democracy.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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