Tommy Robinson releases podcast from prison prompting investigation

An investigation has begun into how Tommy Robinson was able to record and release a podcast from his prison cell, The Telegraph can reveal.

A 13-minute recording of the founder of the English Defence League addressing his supporters and praising Elon Musk and Donald Trump has been posted online and shared repeatedly on social media.

The clip, understood to have been recorded during a personal family call, was broadcast on a podcast website under the title “Tommy Speaks from Prison”. It appeared alongside appeals for donations to help “Tommy’s work”.

Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was jailed for 18 months for contempt of court in October after he admitted repeating false and defamatory claims against a Syrian refugee.

A serving prisoner cannot be interviewed by a journalist for broadcast of any kind without the approval of their prison governor.

Prison Service guidance states that permission should be granted in only “exceptional circumstances”, usually if the prisoner raises matters of “legitimate public interest affecting prisoners … [or] an alleged miscarriage of justice”. It is understood no such approval was obtained by Robinson.

Musk supports Robinson

The Prison Service investigation comes after Robinson, who founded the EDL in 2009, received unwavering support from Musk, the tech billionaire and world’s richest man.

The founder of Tesla and owner of X, formerly Twitter, is convinced Robinson is a political prisoner who attempted to expose grooming gangs, rather than someone who actually made a series of false allegations in his 2018 “documentary”.

The Urban Scoop website, which posted the recording, features a foreword apparently written by Robinson in which he calls for “support and solidarity from listeners” as he “continues to fight for justice, both for myself and for others who have been wronged by the system”.

Robinson then praises Mr Musk, 53, claiming the billionaire has helped protect freedom of speech.

He adds: “Just think where we would be if it wasn’t for Elon Musk. Where would this country be? Donald Trump, I don’t believe, would have been elected. We would still be under censorship. Still people wouldn’t know the truth. There is a mass awakening out there. And they can’t stop it.”

Referring to Mr Musk’s call for an inquiry into the Asian grooming gang scandals, Robinson claims Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister, “doesn’t want a grooming gang scandal”.

He also calls on the US president-elect to pardon the Jan 6 insurrection protesters who stormed the US Capitol because they are fellow “political prisoners”.

He says: “Free every political prisoner. I hope Donald Trump, as soon as he is brought in, frees the January 6 prisoners. I can only think of the solitary confinement conditions that they and their families are facing.”

‘Solitary confinement’ claims

Robinson, originally from Luton, Bedfordshire, tells the podcast his 18-month sentence was “insane”, insisting he was a “journalist”, “political prisoner” and “civil offender”.

He claims he was being held in “solitary confinement”, something a Prison Service source said did not exist in the UK.

The prisoner adds that “solitary confinement” was being imposed “by the Government” and amounted to “mental torture”.

He expresses his gratitude to Ezra Levant, the Canadian founder of Rebel News, a far-Right media outlet. The prisoner claims Mr Levant has helped with his legal battles.

Mr Levant told The Telegraph he became friends with Robinson when he worked for his company. He said he had helped “crowdfund his legal fees” as well as raise money for his three children.

Robinson’s recording is understood to have been made over the phone – probably to a loved one – on Jan 2. He is heard saying “hello darling” before declaring that he wants to “get something off his chest” after three months of “solitary confinement”. The call ends abruptly after 13 minutes.

In his foreword on the website, he claims to be an inmate at Woodhill Prison, a men’s high security jail in Milton Keynes.

In October last year, Robinson admitted 10 breaches of a High Court order made three years earlier which banned him from repeating false claims made in one of his “documentaries” that Jamal Hijazi, a Syrian living in West Yorkshire, was a “violent thug”.

Inquiry launched

A Prison Service spokesman said: “Prisoners’ access to the media is strictly controlled with interviews allowed only under exceptional circumstances.”

HM Prison and Probation Service’s digital media investigation unit has launched an inquiry and is seeking to have the podcast removed.

Prisoners are not permitted to have unsupervised access to the internet, mobile phones and other recording equipment, or any access to social media. If caught doing so, prisoners face extra time in custody and loss of privileges, among other possible sanctions.

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