A charity rowing crew raising money for motor neurone disease was mistaken for Channel migrants by a Norfolk MP who alerted authorities and called for mass deportations. The incident occurred near Great Yarmouth when Rupert Lowe spotted their boat off the coast.
Lowe, who was elected as a Reform UK MP but now sits as an Independent, posted a picture on social media Thursday night showing the vessel near wind turbines. He wrote: "Dinghies coming into Great Yarmouth, RIGHT NOW. Authorities alerted, and I am urgently chasing."
MP calls for deportations
The MP added: "If these are illegal migrants, I will be using every tool at my disposal to ensure these individuals are deported. Enough is enough. Britain needs mass deportations. NOW." However, the boat was actually crewed by ROW4MND, a team of four attempting to row from Land's End to John O'Groats.
The crew comprises Matthew Parker, Mike Bates, Aaron Kneebone and Liz Wardley. They were contacted by the coastguard and asked if they could see a dinghy nearby, before it became clear the coastguard was asking about their own boat.
Coastguard contacts rowing team
Mike Bates, a former Royal Marine and British record holder for rowing across the Atlantic solo, said he looked to his right and saw "maybe a dozen individuals stood on the shoreline staring at us". After satisfying the coastguard that their boat was not carrying migrants, they continued their journey.
Several hours later, they were contacted again by the coastguard as police had "asked if they could send a lifeboat out to check who we were". Eventually, a friend forwarded Lowe's social media post, which Bates said provided "a moment of light relief".
Crew finds incident hilarious
Bates told the PA news agency: "We found it hilarious. 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."
He added: "But it was almost like a vigilante-style, people following us down the beach. They hadn't twigged that we were parallel to the shore for hours and not trying to land." The quartet set off from Land's End on July 25 and initially headed north into the Irish Sea.
Weather forces route change
Bad weather forced them to stop at Milford Haven in Wales before they decided to return to Land's End and start again in the other direction. Bates said this had been "about us showing resolve and resilience and hope".
The journey is the first of four challenges over four years, with the group aiming to row from John O'Groats to Land's End next year. They plan to row from California to Hawaii in 2027 and New York to London in 2028, targeting £57 million for motor neurone disease research.
Fundraising target ambitious
So far, they have raised £107,515 for the charity. Bates said: "We're rowing for hope, we're rowing to find a cure, and hopefully we'll raise £57 million. We certainly will if MPs keep talking about us. Maybe Rupert will give us a donation."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
