An MP has been left red-faced after mistakenly claiming a group of charity rowers were “illegal migrants aboard a dinghy”. Former Reform MP Rupert Lowe has been accused of scaremongering after making the claim on social media on 7 August.
In a post on X, he said he “alerted authorities” after being informed about the group off the coast of Great Yarmouth. He said: “Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth RIGHT NOW. Authorities alerted and I am urgently chasing.”
But his claims were quickly scotched and the red-faced MP, who sits as an independent after being expelled from Reform UK, has since donated £1,000 to the charity the rowers were raising money for – the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
This is the image shared by Rupert Lowe on X, in which he mistook a group of charity rowers for a group of migrants in a small boat.
Parody cat spots the blunder first
Larry the Cat, a parody profile impersonating the pet that lives at No 10 Downing Street, was the first to respond to his post, sharing marine tracking information that confirmed it was a group of rowers.
However, it took about 10 hours for Lowe to correct his post this morning. He said: “Good news. False alarm! The unknown vessel was charity rowers, thank goodness.”
Despite the obvious error, Lowe has refused to apologise. He said: “Absolutely no apologies from me for being vigilant about the illegal migrants streaming into my country. I wish the rowers well and have donated £1,000 to their cause”.
Charity challenge mistaken for migrant crossing
The vessel pictured was in fact an ocean rowing boat crewed by ROW4MND, a team of four who are attempting to row from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND).
The crew – Matthew Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley – said they had been contacted by the Coastguard and asked if they could see a dinghy nearby.
Bates, a former Royal Marine and British record holder for rowing across the Atlantic solo, told the PA news agency it soon became clear the Coastguard was asking about his own boat. “I looked to my right and there was maybe a dozen individuals stood on the shoreline staring at us,” he said.
After satisfying the Coastguard that their boat was not carrying migrants, they continued, but several hours later were contacted again by the Coastguard because the police had “asked if they could send a lifeboat out to check who we were”.
Rowers see the funny side
He said: “We found it hilarious. I’ve not been mistaken for a migrant before. 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. But it was almost like a vigilante-style, people following us down the beach. They hadn’t twigged that we were parallel to the shore for hours and not trying to land.”
While Lowe’s error drew ridicule, it also propelled the ROW4MND team into national headlines, boosting awareness of their cause.
Lowe’s comments follow growing criticism of his rhetoric online and his recent threats that he would protest outside a care home caring for vulnerable adults in Winterton, near Yarmouth, after unfounded rumours it would be used for asylum seeker housing.
Councillor calls out scaremongering
Trevor Wainwright, Labour leader at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “This is just another example of scaremongering. It would not have taken a genius to take out a pair of binoculars and spot it was a group of rowers. You walk along the beach and you will see dozens of boats out at sea. He should have got his facts straight.”
The rowing group were clearly visible from the shore by other locals.
The distance from Calais to Great Yarmouth is 113 miles, making the potential chances of small boats leaving France to reach the coastal town extremely unlikely and incredibly dangerous.
If you’d like to donate to ROW4MND, visit their donation page here.
This article is adapted from a report by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
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