LONDON — An anti-immigration member of the British parliament was left red-faced after warning about a potential seaborne invasion of migrants in his constituency — only to find out they were a team of charity rowers.
Rupert Lowe, who quit Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK Party earlier this year and now represents Great Yarmouth in Norfolk as an independent, posted an image on X Thursday which showed a boat in the waters off his coastal constituency.
“Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW,” he warned.
“If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported,” he added. “Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW.”
The vessel was in fact manned by a team of four rowers raising funds for a motor neurone disease cure under the ROW4MND banner. The crew told the Press Association news agency that they had been repeatedly contacted by the U.K. coastguard following the post.
“We found it hilarious,” Mike Bates, a former Royal Marine, said of reading Lowe’s missive. “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.”
Lowe on Friday admitted mistaking the crew for illegal migrants, but insisted he would not apologize “for being vigilant.” He said he had made a donation of £1,000 to ROW4MND.
“Good news. False alarm! The unknown vessel was charity rowers, thank goodness,” the MP posted Friday.
“Keep going, and watch out for any real illegal migrants!”
The post British MP mistakes charity rowers for illegal immigrants appeared first on Politico.
