Wife of ex-Tory councillor jailed for social media rant loses appeal

The wife of a former Conservative county councillor has had her jail sentence upheld after she made an online rant about migrants on the day of the Southport attacks.

Lucy Connolly, 42, was handed a 31-month sentence after admitting making a post on X in the hours after three girls were stabbed and killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

In response, she had tweeted to her 9,000 followers: “Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care, while you’re at it take the treacherous government and politicians with them.

“I feel physically sick knowing what these families will now have to endure. If that makes me racist so be it.”

It was viewed 310,000 times in three-and-a-half hours before Connolly deleted it.

On Tuesday Lord Justice Holroyde, Mr Justice Goss and Mr Justice Sheldon, refused her application to appeal.

In a written judgment, Lord Justice Holroyde, said: “There is no arguable basis on which it could be said that the sentence imposed by the judge was manifestly excessive.

“The application for leave to appeal against sentence therefore fails and is refused.”

During a hearing last Thursday at the Court of Appeal, she said that she “never” intended to incite violence and did not realise pleading guilty would mean she accepted that she had.

Giving evidence from HMP Drake Hall in Eccleshall in Staffordshire, Connolly had written the post on 29 July when she was “really angry, really upset” and that she knew how the parents felt.

She said: “Those parents still have to live a life of grief. It sends me into a state of anxiety and I worry about my children.”

The court heard that Connolly’s son died tragically around 14 years ago, and that news of the murders of the children in Southport had heightened her sensitivity.

When asked why she had deleted the post three and a half hours after posting it, Connolly added: “I calmed myself down, and I know that wasn’t an acceptable thing to say. It wasn’t the right thing to say, it wasn’t what I wanted to happen.”

In the aftermath of the stabbing, anti-immigration riots broke out across the country with mosques, homes and businesses targeted. Over 1,200 people were arrested while over 130 police officers were injured between 30 July and 5 August 2024.

Adam King, representing Connolly, asked if she had intended for anyone to set fire to asylum hotels, or “murder any politicians”.

She replied: “Absolutely not.”

However, the prosecution had argued that the post was a reflection of her attitude towards immigrants. When she was arrested on 6 August, she had deleted her social media account but other messages which included further racist remarks were recovered on her phone.

Naeem Valli, for the prosecution, asked Connolly if she believed the country was being “invaded” by immigrants.

She replied: “I believe that we have a massive number of people in the country that are unchecked, coming into the country and I believe that is a national security risk.”

She added that it would be “absolutely incorrect” to say she did not want immigrants in the country.

The former childminder, who is married to Raymond Connolly, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court last October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred.

Mr Connolly had been a Tory West Northamptonshire district councillor but lost his seat in May. He remains on the town council.

In a statement issued by a spokesperson, Mr Connolly said the decision by the Court of Appeal to dismiss his wife Lucy’s appeal was “shocking and unfair”.

He said: “The 284 days of separation have been very hard, particularly on our 12-year-old girl. Lucy posted one nasty tweet when she was upset and angry about three little girls who were brutally murdered in Southport.

“She realised the tweet was wrong and deleted it within four hours. That did not mean Lucy was a ‘far right thug’ as Prime Minister Keir Starmer claimed.

“My wife Lucy is a good person and not a racist. As a childminder she took care of small children of African and Asian heritage; they loved Lucy as she loved them. My wife has paid a very high price for making a mistake and today the court has shown her no mercy.

“Lucy got more time in jail for one tweet than some paedophiles and domestic abusers get. I think the system wanted to make an example of Lucy so other people would be scared to say things about immigration. This is not the British way.”

Zelensky says Putin ‘buying time’ after Trump threatens ‘red line’ over peace talks

Vladimir Putin is “trying to buy time” to continue his war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has warned, after Donald Trump insisted progress had been made after his two-hour call with the Russian president.

Despite Mr Trump saying negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow would begin “immediately”, the Kremlin quickly poured cold water on the US president’s optimistic statements, saying “there are no deadlines and there can’t be any”.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, repeated his threat to abandon efforts to broker peace, insisting that he has a “red line in my head” on when he will walk away and saying: “This is not my war.”

Engaging in a flurry of diplomacy with calls to Kyiv’s allies on Tuesday, the Ukrainian president said he accepted that “there is no doubt that the war must end at the negotiating table”, but warned that Russia must face tough sanctions if it “continues to put forward unrealistic conditions and undermine progress”.

Meanwhile, heavy fighting continued along the front line, with Ukraine reporting 177 combat clashes and claiming to have inflicted more than 1,000 casualties upon Russia over the past 24 hours.

Tommy Robinson to be released from prison within days

Tommy Robinson is due to be released from prison within the next week after his 18-month sentence for contempt of court was reduced by four months.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for 18 months in October after admitting multiple breaches of an injunction made in 2021, which barred him from repeating false allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him for libel.

The sentence comprised a 14-month “punitive” element and a four-month “coercive” element.

At the time, sentencing judge Mr Justice Johnson told Robinson he could have the latter element taken off his sentence if he were to “purge” his contempt by taking steps to comply with the injunction.

The far-right activist was previously due to be released on 26 July, but had applied to the High Court to purge his contempt order.

Lawyers for the Solicitor General said that they agreed that Robinson had taken steps to adhere to the injunction.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Mr Justice Johnson said that there was an “absence of contrition or remorse” from Robinson, but that he had shown a “change in attitude” since he was sentenced.

He said: “He (Robinson) has given an assurance that he will comply with the injunction in the future, that he has no intention of breaching it again, and that he is aware of the consequences of what would happen if he breached the injunction again.”

He said he considered it “appropriate” to grant Robinson’s application.

He added: “The practical effect, subject to confirmation by the prison authorities, is that the defendant will be released once he has completed the punitive element, which I understand will be within the next week.”

Robinson attended the hearing on Tuesday via video-link from HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes.

He showed no immediate reaction when the judgment was handed down.

Robinson was jailed in 2024 for 10 admitted breaches of the injunction, after the Solicitor General issued two contempt claims against him.

The first claim alleged that Robinson “knowingly” breached the order on four occasions, including by having “published, caused, authorised or procured” a film called Silenced, which contains the libellous allegations, in May 2023.

The film was pinned to the top of the activist’s profile on the social media site X (formerly Twitter).

He also repeated the claims in three interviews between February and June 2023.

The second claim was issued in August 2024 and concerned six further breaches, including playing the film at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in central London last summer.

Handing down the sentence at Woolwich Crown Court, Mr Justice Johnson said Robinson could “purge” his contempt by showing “a commitment to comply with the injunction”.

He said this could include taking steps such as removing Silenced and other publications which breached the injunction from his social media accounts.

After being jailed, Robinson lost a bid to bring a legal challenge against the Ministry of Justice over his segregation from other prisoners behind bars in March.

He then lost a challenge to his sentence at the Court of Appeal in April, but three senior judges said he could “still reduce the period he has to spend in custody by taking the steps identified” by Mr Justice Johnson.

The injunction was issued after Robinson was successfully sued by Jamal Hijazi, a then-schoolboy who was assaulted at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in October 2018.

After a clip of the incident went viral, Robinson made false claims on Facebook, including about Mr Hijazi attacking girls in his school, leading to the libel case.

Mr Justice Nicklin ordered Robinson to pay Mr Hijazi £100,000 in damages and his legal costs, as well as making the injunction preventing Robinson from repeating the allegations.

Mr Justice Johnson said on Tuesday that Robinson could be jailed for up to two years if he breached the injunction again in the future.

British athlete smashes record for running width of Australia

A British ultra-endurance athlete has broken the world record for running across Australia in just over a month.

William Goodge, 31, crossed the finish line in Sydney shortly after 4pm on Monday, completing the 3,800km run in 35 days at Bondi Beach.

The athlete from Bedfordshire started his run in Perth on 15 April and covered about 100km every day, the equivalent of two and a half marathons.

Mr Goodge shattered the world record held by Australian Chris Turnbull, who ran the width of the country in 2023 in 39 days.

Mr Turnbull had taken the record from Nedd Brockmann. The Australian electrician had completed the same run the year before in 47 days.

Mr Goodge said he started running marathons to raise money for cancer charities in the UK, US and Australia in honour of his mother, who died from cancer in 2018.

The athlete was handed bouquets of flowers after he crossed the finish line, which he placed at the shoreline in memory of his late mother.

“She was the most special person in my life,” he told The Guardian. “She would be proud of everything I’ve done – she’d also be concerned.”

Mr Goodge’s father joined him at the finish line where the athlete said the run was “like a revolving nightmare that wouldn’t end”.

“The first nine days were extremely challenging,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald, “but you have to tell your body and mind that even though you’re struggling, you’re going to persevere, and you’re going to get through it.”

Mr Goodge explained how the challenging run took a toll on his body as his toenails started falling off along the way, feet started rotting and the pain in his bones disrupted his sleep, causing him to hallucinate.

“So, in the moments where it’s tough, I will think back to those times, I think about the woman she was and how she handled herself and how she supported me,” Mr Goodge told the Australian daily, adding that he felt “like she’s there with me a lot of the time”.

Trump has wiped Elon Musk’s name from Truth Social

President Donald Trump has stopped mentioning Elon Musk on Truth Social as the administration takes a significant step back from the tech billionaire brought on to trim the federal budget.

Trump was posting about Musk an average of four times per week in February and March on Truth Social as Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency led the firing of employees and shuttering of federal departments, but the president hasn’t mentioned him once since the start of April, according to an analysis by Politico.

Equally, until early April, Musk posted about the president on his X account almost every day but posts where Trump is mentioned have since tailed off.

Musk has stepped back from front-line politics since proving unpopular with the public, according to polling, and he faced ridicule over the outcome of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race last month.

“He’s finished, done, gone. He polls terribly. People hate him,” an anonymous GOP operative told Politico. “He’d go to Wisconsin thinking he can buy people’s votes, wear the cheese hat, act like a 9-year-old. … It doesn’t work. It’s offensive to people.”

The official White House account and some of Trump’s senior advisers have also stopped mentioning Musk on social media, Politico notes.

Musk became a central fixture of Trump’s reelection campaign last summer and even more so after the president entered office in January, with the world’s richest man leading the charge to gut federal agencies.

His time as a special government employee was limited to 130 days and the tech mogul said he would be turning his attention to his businesses after Tesla reported disappointing earnings in April. “It’s just been a very intense 100 days, where at times I was here full time. So, at the beginning, I was here in D.C. seven days a week for some of the weeks in the beginning, or close to seven days a week,” said Musk.

“And now we’re getting more of a rhythm, and so the amount of time that is necessary for me to spend here is much less.”

Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia told the outlet that Musk is “a patriot” but acknowledged that the billionaire went too far.

“We got too close to the fence. We mowed too far,” Justice said. “We just adjust. That’s the process that’s going on.”

The president has also stopped using Musk’s name to raise money in emails to online supporters, according to Politico. Musk was mentioned almost daily until early March and since then, only one message including the SpaceX CEO was sent out touting a “Gulf of America” cap he once wore, according to the outlet.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that DOGE’s work “will surely continue,” but did not mention Musk directly in response to the outlet.

Musk has proved an effective target for the Democrats but his retreat from the White House raises questions about their messaging ahead of the midterms.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton said last month that Democrats “are going to win” by reminding voters that “Republicans are failing at lowering costs because they are too busy pushing tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy.”

“Elon is, and forever will be, an instantly recognizable manifestation of the fact that House Republicans don’t work for the American people, they work for the billionaires,” Shelton told Politico in a statement.

Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts, the co-chair of the House Democrats’ messaging committee, meanwhile, stressed the need to “adjust.”

“As long as he’s there using a chainsaw to all the programs that people back home rely on and need to make ends meet, of course we’re going to make him a central character,” Trahan said last month.

“At some point, he will become a liability for the president, and they will sever ties. And we will adjust as we head into the midterms,” Trahan said.

From secluded bays to family-friendly shores, discover Costa Dorada’s beaches

Whether you prefer your sunbathing broken up by a spot of snorkelling, experiencing local culture, or simply blissfully uninterrupted – the Costa Dorada (locally known as Costa Daurada) has the perfect beach for you. With 50 miles of coastline, and 26 Blue Flag beaches, it doesn’t matter if you’re after calm waters, family-friendly facilities or adventurous water sports – there’s a sunspot that caters for every traveller.

What’s more, with Jet2holidays flying to the Costa Dorada from 12 UK airports and a range of two to five-star accommodation, it’s easy to get your beach break sorted. Jet2holidays is always giving you more, to help make planning and booking as smooth as possible. That goes for the PayPal Pay in 3 interest-free payments** option, 22kg baggage and 10kg hand luggage, and return transfers† that are included. Look out for Free Child Places***, and infants under two go free‡.

Here we pick out just some of the region’s gorgeous shores to delve into…

In one of the most picturesque and lively parts of Costa Dorada sits this almost two-and-a-half mile stretch of beach, lined with palms as well as the famous pine trees that give the area its name. It’s fab for everything from gentle strolls and paddles to more active games of volleyball, sand football and tennis. Other activities on offer include everything from shoreside Zumba classes to yoga, meditation and mindfulness sessions. The slow slope of sand into sparkling waters makes it ideal for families with young children, while for the real water babies, the exhilarating Aquopolis waterpark is only a short walk from the beach. With plenty of bars, restaurants, toilets and shower facilities lining the pretty promenade, there’s no reason not to stay all day.

With over five miles of Blue Flag beaches, all with gentle waters, Cambrils makes an excellent family-friendly break. Great for water sports such as kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing – especially at the pristine Platja del Cavet Beach, where the Escola Nàutica water sports centre offers windsurfing lessons.

For something more laidback, head to Platja de la Llosa for a series of smaller, but equally beautiful, beaches and coves. Then why not potter around the picturesque, cobbled alleyways of the old town to sample delicious local dishes? While you’re in the area, take the opportunity to visit neighbouring Platja de la Pixerota in Mont-roig on the southern border of Cambrils, to enjoy breathtaking views out to the Gulf of Sant Jordi and learn about the fascinating Spanish Civil War bunkers situated in the middle of the beach.

As the tourist capital of the Costa Dorada and the epicentre of amusement and entertainment, Salou’s beaches are home to good times for kids and adults alike. And being so close to PortAventura World (one of Europe’s largest theme parks) means double the fun, when so many of Jet2holidays’ Experience More hotels include park entry, meaning staying and playing is on the cards. Don’t miss the stunning Llevant Beach, dotted with colourful sunloungers and umbrellas, where the sea is filled with kayaks and jet skis. In between sunbathing and water sports, you can also enjoy wandering along its pretty promenade of shops, restaurants and bars. For something a little more secluded, take the coastal path to the sand dunes, pine trees and shallow crystalline waters of Platja Llarga, which is great for snorkelling.

This charming beach town is as much a magnet to those looking for lazy beach days as it is for history lovers. A medieval castle forms the backdrop to a swathe of fine golden sand at Platja d’Altafulla, and it’s a stone’s throw from the famous Roman ruins at Tarragona. You can even borrow a book from the Bibliomar beach library, which also organises workshops and storytelling, or join a yoga or Pilates class on the sands.

Walk down to neighbouring Tamarit Beach, which has its own castle dating back to the 11th century, as well as some friendly beach bars for a cheeky cocktail. Also in the area is family-friendly Coma-ruga Beach in El Vendrell. Its clear waters, palm-lined promenade of restaurants, bars and shops, and natural thermal springs, make for a balanced beach break.

The soft, sloping sands make Platja La Paella a super-safe option for families with children who love spending all day in the sea. As for water sports, there’s a designated area for surfers, and a bespoke exit and entry point for jet skis. The nearby marina offers scuba diving, snorkelling, water skiing and boat trips. For those who prefer being on terra firma, there are kids’ playgrounds, and a sports zone with four volleyball courts and three beach football pitches, often hosting championships. In summer, sports camps and gymnastics sessions are held here.

One of the most unique beaches in the Costa Dorada, the sugar-like sands and translucent waters of l’Arenal are split into two parts. There’s the northern section with its promenade and the Base Nautica water sports resort, which offers dinghy sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. Then there’s the southern part, which can only be accessed via a listed Blue Trail footpath. Here you can enjoy magnificent dunes, marshlands and white pine woodlands around a more tranquil shore.

With Jet2holidays, you can book your trip to the Costa Dorada with lots of package perks thrown in to make getting away even easier. From a low £60 per person deposit* to PayPal Pay in 3 interest-free payments**, 22kg baggage and 10kg hand luggage per person to return transfers†, it’s all included. Families can make the most of Free Child Places*** while infants under two go free‡. And with flights included and the choice of two to five-star hotels, Jet2holidays is always giving you more. For more Costa Dorada travel inspiration, and to find and book your ultimate holiday, visit Jet2holidays. Plus, right now, myJet2 members can save £100 per person§ in The Big Jet2 Price Drop (correct at original publish date).

*On bookings made ten weeks or more before departure. Full payment required by balance due date. **Spread the cost over three interest-free payments. Available when booked online, for holidays under £2,000, departing within ten weeks. ***One free child place per two paying passengers. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply, please see www.jet2holidays.com/promotions#FCP2025 for further details. †Unless otherwise stated. ‡Applicable for all infants under the age of two years on the date of return. Infants are not entitled to a flight seat (they must be seated with a parent or guardian) or a 22kg baggage allowance. §£100 per person off holidays for myJet2 members departing until 15 November 2026. myJet2 members will need to be logged into their account at the time of booking for the discount to automatically apply. Book online, via our app, through our call centre or with your travel agent. Please note the discount is not applied to children travelling on a free child place. Terms and conditions apply, please see www.jet2holidays.com/promotions#100APRIL2025 for details.

Wild campers set to find out if they’re banned from Dartmoor

Wild campers are set to discover if they can continue to enjoy the scenic beauty of Dartmoor as a long-running legal dispute comes to a head on Wednesday.

Landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall are challenging a Court of Appeal ruling which says that members of the public have the right to wild camp in the national park of Devon.

In recent years, the right to pitch a tent in the wilderness and enjoy an evening among nature has prompted a fierce debate, with Labour once promising it would legislate for a right to wild camp in all national parks.

In the case of Dartmoor, a 368-square mile area that features “commons” (land that the public has specific rights to use), camping had been assumed to be allowed since 1985 under the terms set out under the Dartmoor Commons Act.

While wild camping is allowed in large parts of Scotland, Dartmoor marked the only place in England that such an activity was allowed without requiring permission from a landowner.

Mr Darwall, a multi-millionaire hedge fund manager, purchased the 4,000 acre Blachford estate in southern Dartmoor in 2013. He and his wife keep cattle on part of the land which is called Stall Moor, and have argued that campers cause problems to livestock and damage the natural surroundings.

Commenting on the case, Mr Darwall had previously said that many campers do not observe the ‘leave no trace’ principle, and that campfires can cause “habitat destruction” or “devastating damage” if it turns into a wildfire.

The case hinges on whether wild camping can be classified as open-air recreation. In the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985, it states that the “public shall have the right of access to the commons on foot and on horseback for the purpose of open-air recreation”.

Lawyers for the Darwalls have argued that the nearly 40-year piece of legislation means that it only provides access for walking and riding.

This is strongly contested by lawyers representing the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), who have said that the phrase “on foot” means access should be pedestrian and not by means of a vehicle.

The DNPA have also disputed the concerns of damage caused by camping, describing the reported impact to land and vegetation as “absurd”.

In written submissions, Richard KC said: “The suggestion that merely erecting a tent for backpack or wild camping damages the land and vegetation is absurd.

“Erecting a tent for backpack or wild camping for a night or two would do no such damage.”

Since launching his campaign to ban wild campers from his estate, thousands of campaigners have joined a protest movement asserting their right to camp freely around the beauty spot.

During the first stage of their legal battle in January 2023, the Darwalls won their High Court case, which ruled that the law did not give people the right to pitch tents overnight without landowners’ permission.

However, just months later the Court of Appeal overturned this decision, finding the law gave people “the right to rest or sleep on the Dartmoor Commons, whether by day or night and whether in a tent or otherwise” as long as byelaws are followed.

The Darwalls were then allowed to pursue their case in the Supreme Court, with a final ruling expected on Wednesday.

Rachel Reeves U-turns on plan to cut Isa limit to £4,000

Rachel Reeves has confirmed she will not reduce the £20,000 annual limit for individual savings accounts (Isas) in a move set to benefit savers across the country.

The chancellor had faced pressure from banks not to press ahead with plans to cut the limit in a bid to kickstart growth, which is one of the government’s key objectives.

Earlier this year, Emma Reynolds, the economic secretary, pointed out that “hundreds of billions of pounds in cash Isas” were preventing money from being invested in the London Stock Exchange, fuelling speculation that the annual limit could be cut.

But Ms Reeves told the BBC: “I’m not going to reduce the limit of what people can put into an Isa, but I do want people to get better returns on their savings, whether that’s in a pension or in their day-to-day savings.

“And at the moment, a lot of money is put into cash or bonds when it could be invested in equities, in stock markets, and earn a better return for people. But I absolutely want to preserve that £20,000 tax-free investment that people can make every year.”

Cash Isas, which are held by 18 million people, who added a combined total of almost £50bn to them last year, allow households to save without paying income tax on the interest.

But there are also Lifetime Isas (Lisas) for property, innovative finance Isas and stocks and shares Isas for investing – and it is the latter which Ms Reeves hopes to encourage more people to use. Any money saved, generated, earned or created within any Isa is tax-free.

Over longer periods of time, investing in equities outperforms holding cash, as interest rates can remain low for prolonged stretches, while stock markets have historically grown. However, shares, funds and other types of investing offers no guaranteed return and losing money is possible – while cash kept in bank accounts offers a fixed and familiar return rate, with funds not depleting unless spent.

Building societies have also pointed out how they utilise some of the money saved in cash Isas to back the mortgages they hold, and removing a portion of that cash could limit how much they can lend in future.

Changes to the cash Isa or the overall Isa model could still be forthcoming later this year. Simplification of the ecosystem has been pushed for over the years, including combining the cash and investing Isas into a single product.

“One of the reasons why we’re looking at advice and guidance that financial firms can give to their customers is to make sure that people are making informed decisions about how to invest their money, whether that’s their pension savings or their Isa savings,” Ms Reeves added.