Nigel Farage slams 'two-tier' justice system after Labour councillor cleared by jury

Nigel Farage and top Tories have been condemned after labelling a jury verdict "unacceptable" and “two tier justice”.

It comes after Labour councillor, Ricky Jones, who called for far-right activists' throats to be cut at an anti-racism rally in the wake of the Southport murders was found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder on Friday. Mr Farage questioned the courts, as did the Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly also took to X to slam the verdict, despite it coming from a jury.

Reform UK leader Mr Farage said: "This is another outrageous example of two-tier justice." Mr Cleverly said: "Perverse decisions like this are adding to the anger that people feel and amplifying the belief that there isn’t a dispassionate criminal justice system."

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Mr Philp compared it to the case of Lucy Connolly, the wife of an ex-Tory councillor who pleaded guilty to stirring up racial hatred for vile posts amid the riots following the Southport murders.

He said: “It is astonishing that Labour councillor Ricky Jones, who was caught on video calling for throats to be slit, is let off scot free - whereas Lucy Connolly got 31 months prison for posting something no worse. The development of two tier justice is becoming increasingly alarming.”

The criticism comes despite Connolly pleading guilty, and a juror finding Mr Jones not guilty. Connolly had posted “mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.”

The criticism also puts them at odds with the Shadow Justice Secretary MP Robert Jenrick, who said earlier this year that juries were Britain’s “gift to the world”.

Responding on X, barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind said: “Lucy Connolly pleaded guilty & was sentenced. Ricky Jones pleaded not guilty & was acquitted by a jury.

“That is not two-tier justice. It is legally illiterate to imply one was punished & the other ‘let off scot free’ - when one of them was quite literally acquitted after trial.”

Former Tory cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg also questioned the language used by his former colleagues. He said: "This is self-evidently not an example of two-tier justice as this Councillor was cleared by a jury. Lucy Connolly offered a guilty plea so did not have a jury trial, although she probably could have done had she pleaded not guilty.

There was also condemnation from a source in the legal system, who warned “we must respect the verdict of the jury and it must be right whatever it is”.

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