Exclusive: Laurence Fox seen on flight to Ireland as Starmer vows crackdown on far-right

Laurence Fox, former actor and leader of right-wing populist The Reclaim Party, left the UK on Saturday 3 August amid far-right riots taking place across the country since last week.

He was first seen at Stansted Airport, and later on a flight to Cork, Ireland. According to a witness, who identified him by his hand tattoos, he wore sunglasses for the entire duration of the flight. The Lead identified Fox through pictures taken by the witness.

“Fox was glued to his phone while queuing at the gate and conspicuously wore sunglasses all through the flight”, The Lead’s source said. It is not known where he travelled to from Cork Airport.

While it remains unclear if Fox's sudden trip is directly related to his online activity, his recent posts on the social media platform X have drawn significant attention. 

Since leaving the country, on August 4, Fox tweeted inflammatory statements in reference to far-right mobs seen across the country, claiming, "it’s war” and accused "immigrant barbarians" of raping British girls “for decades”. The video accompanying these comments has garnered over 4.3 million views.

Incidentally, The Reclaim Party's official X page expressed disbelief at Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plans to go on holiday this week, tweeting "unbelievable" just a day after Fox's own departure. Meanwhile, reports also indicate that far-right activist Tommy Robinson is currently staying in a five-star resort in Ayia Napa, Cyprus.

Prime Minister Starmer condemned individuals who incite unrest online and then flee the country, stating: “I guarantee you will regret taking part in this disorder, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves.”

In April, Fox was ordered to pay a total of £180,000 in damages to two people he referred to as paedophiles on social media after losing a High Court libel battle.

The Lead has reached out to Laurence Fox for comment.