LONDON — British politicians laid into the Trump administration Thursday over far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s visit to the United States, which included a tour of the State Department.
Emily Thornberry, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told POLITICO that U.S. officials should not be taken in by Robinson’s claim to be a “free speech warrior,” while fellow MPs in the governing Labour Party branded the move by a supposed ally “incredibly alarming.”
Joe Rittenhouse, a senior adviser at the State Department’s Consular Affairs bureau, posted photos of himself on X alongside Robinson Wednesday. He said he was “honored to have [the] free speech warrior,” who has a history of criminal convictions in the U.K., “at Department of State today.”
It’s the latest apparent outreach by the Trump administration to far-right figures in Europe, and comes despite enhanced scrutiny of tourists traveling to the United States.
“The World and the West is a better place when we fight for freedom of speech and no one has been on the front lines more than Tommy,” Rittenhouse posted. “Good to see you my friend!”
A U.S. Department of State spokesperson told Reuters that Robinson attended “in an unofficial capacity on a tour” Wednesday.
As part of the same U.S. trip, Robinson — whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — also shared a video of himself meeting Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine, and talked up a meeting with far-right U.S. activist Jack Posobiec.
Robinson was previously associated with the anti-Muslim English Defence League, a street protest movement, in the U.K. He has been convicted in the U.K. of a range of offenses including assault, mortgage fraud and contempt of court.
Robinson held a “Unite the Kingdom” march in London last September which attracted more than 100,000 supporters and was endorsed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has openly expressed his backing for Robinson.
But his trip to the United States triggered a swift backlash back in the U.K.
Thornberry, the British Foreign Affairs Committee chair, warned: “Yaxley- Lennon is being touted around Washington as a ‘free speech warrior.’ We need to engage this administration on the difference between that and incitement to violence and racial hatred. There should be no place in any democracy for the latter.”
Labour MP Alex Ballinger told POLITICO he was “disappointed” that the State Department had chosen to host a “convicted criminal” and “far-right agitator.”
“Having worked alongside U.S. diplomats for many years, I suspect many of them will be embarrassed about it too,” he added.
Fellow Labour MP Phil Brickell called the meeting a “complete outrage” given Robinson has “peddled racist tropes in the past.”
“The guy holds no elected role,” he added. “On what basis do they [the American government] recognize him?”
Catherine West, a former Foreign Office minister, said any country hosting Robinson would be “incredibly alarming. For the U.K.’s key ally to do so is frankly disgraceful.”
She added: “The government needs to send a clear signal to the U.S. president that this is unacceptable.”
Calum Miller, foreign affairs spokesperson for the opposition Liberal Democrats, said the invite “must be a wake-up call.”
“The government needs to include the US in their inquiry into foreign interference in UK politics,” he argued on X. “We cannot stand by while the likes of Trump and Musk meddle in our democracy.”
Keir Starmer’s spokesperson stressed Thursday that Robinson is “not a representative of the U.K.” but said meetings are “a matter for the U.S. administration” and “not for me to speak to.”