Trump’s US could be Robinson’s next stop after prison thanks to White House allies

Far-right leader Tommy Robinson could follow Andrew Tate and travel to the US after he is released from prison, counter-extremism experts have warned.

Robinson is currently serving a 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to contempt of court charges last October but is expected to be released in July.

The former EDL leader, who has previously been denied a US visa, publicly begged Donald Trump to grant him asylum near the end of the President’s first term in 2019, claiming he is being persecuted in the UK.

Robinson was also repeatedly praised by Trump ally Elon Musk during last summer’s far-right riots.

Dr Elizabeth Pearson, a counter-extremism expert who spoke repeatedly to Robinson while researching her book Extreme Britain, told The i Paper she has “real worries” his ban on travelling to the US could be lifted.

She said: “The current administration can change anything that they want, and they’re demonstrating daily that they are ripping up the rule book.”

It comes after self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, were permitted to travel to America by Romanian authorities while they face rape and human-trafficking charges – which they deny.

The brothers are dual US-UK citizens and believed to have support within the Trump administration, including from two of the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr and Barron. Trump Jr once called Andrew Tate’s imprisonment in Romania “absolute insanity”, while Tate has also claimed he is “very close” to the Trump family and speaks with Barron, 18, regularly.

Members of the Trump administration reportedly pressured Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions against them. When asked if Trump had played a role in their release, the Tates’ lawyer, Joseph McBride said: “Do the math. These guys are on the plane.”

While the US government does not comment on individual cases, it is understood Robinson is banned from flying to the US due to multiple criminal convictions and a failed attempt to enter the country using a friend’s passport in 2012.

Robinson is also currently awaiting a further trial in the UK after being charged with terror offences for allegedly failing to provide the pin of his mobile phone to police.

However, Dr Pearson, who is the Programme Lead for MSc Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies at Royal Holloway University, said: “If the President of the United States wants him to fly to the States, he can fly to the States. I’m not comforted by the idea there’s a ban on his flying [there].”

Anti-extremism campaigners are concerned a move to the US would give Robinson greater legitimacy, embolden his followers and boost his fundraising efforts.

Campaign group Hope Not Hate (HNH), told The i Paper “there is a real risk” Robinson may be allowed to head to the US.

Chief executive Nick Lowles said: “What we call team Tommy, the people around Tommy, are really pushing that, both because they see it from a financial point of view, but also, I think that they would see it as a political endorsement of his politics.”

While Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, made a failed attempt to secure a US visa in 2018 under the previous Trump administration, he now has a powerful ally in the White House.

Elon Musk – who has been tasked by Trump with cutting costs across US government under his “Department of Government Efficiency” (Doge) – has repeatedly called for Robinson to be freed and, as revealed in this paper, has previously bankrolled some of Robinson’s legal fees.

Musk first started championing Robinson last summer, when the Luton-born anti-Islam activist was accused of inflaming tensions against the UK’s Muslim community after three girls were fatally stabbed in an attack in Southport.

Musk repeatedly posted on his social media platform X that Robinson is a political prisoner who should be protected under the guise of free speech, while accusing prime minister Sir Keir Starmer of failing to tackle child grooming gangs.

His posts include direct calls for Robinson’s release, including one stating: “Free Tommy Robinson now”.

Dr Pearson said: “As soon as I saw Elon Musk’s tweets attacking Keir Starmer and lauding Tommy Robinson, I had this sense of fear and foreboding.

“Tommy Robinson is very useful to bolster the free speech, anti-Islam issues they are capitalising on. Robinson is very useful to someone like Elon Musk and the Trump administration.”

The concern behind Robinson being able to travel to the US is in part because it could open new funding opportunities, as well as catapulting him to heightened levels of endorsement and exposure.

In her interviews with Robinson, Dr Pearson said it is clear Robinson hopes to gain mainstream approval and so any endorsement by the White House would be welcomed.

“He was always extremely keen to be legitimised. He had a very strong desire to be listened to by people that in mainstream terms matter and have authority.”

She added it would also be taken by his followers as a “legitimising move… and as a put-down to the British Government”, which could embolden the disaffected far-right grassroots members across the UK.

A spokesperson for the Commission for Countering Extremism said: “Our work focuses on tackling extremism in all its forms and providing the government with impartial, expert advice and scrutiny on the tools, policies and approaches needed to tackle extremism.

“The CCE engages widely with international partners in countering extremism. Our remit does not include operational decisions regarding travel restrictions imposed on UK citizens, which fall under the jurisdiction of other government departments in the UK and overseas.”

The i Paper also contacted the Home Office, the White House, Mr Musk and Mr Robinson’s team in relation to this article but did not receive a response.

Robinson’s bids to head Stateside

Robinson has repeatedly been blocked from entering the US.

In 2013, he was jailed in the UK after travelling to America using a passport in someone else’s name after he had been refused entry.

Robinson used his friend Andrew McMaster’s passport to travel to New York from Heathrow. He used a self-check-in kiosk to board the flight and was allowed through the bag-drop area.

He was caught when he landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport when customs officials took his fingerprints and discovered they did not match that of McMaster. Lennon was asked to attend a second interview but left the airport, entering the US illegally, before travelling back the following day to the UK using his own passport. Robinson uses a number of names and this passport bore the name Paul Harris.

An attempt to secure a US visa in 2018 under the previous Trump Administration also failed.

He had been due to meet several Republican members of Congress and was invited by the Middle East Forum think tank, who have funded Robinson in the past.

A group of more than 50 MPs, including Labour’s Wes Streeting and Jess Phillips, backed a motion calling on the Government “to urgently make representations to the US Administration urging it to maintain the banning order”.

They raised concerns that any lifting of the ban would “have a detrimental impact on community relations in the UK” because of the subsequent media exposure and potential to raise further funds in America.