Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has lost a bid to bring a High Court challenge against the government over his solitary confinement in prison.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is serving an 18-month sentence, for contempt of court, at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes.
On Thursday, his barristers told the High Court that he should be allowed to bring a legal challenge over his imprisonment.
The court heard that he had been kept segregated from other prisoners since November 2024, which had caused a “decline” in his mental health.
The Ministry of Justice opposed the bid, with its lawyers saying that Robinson was placed in isolation due to fears for his safety, including that he might be killed by another prisoner.
In a ruling on Friday, Mr Justice Chamberlain dismissed Robinson’s legal bid, saying his case was “not arguable”.
Robinson was jailed in October 2024 by Mr Justice Johnson, after admitting 10 breaches of a High Court order made in 2021.
The order barred him from repeating libellous allegations against a Syrian refugee who successfully sued him.
In written submissions for the hearing, Tom Cross, for the Ministry of Justice, said that after being sentenced in October 2024, Robinson was admitted to HMP Belmarsh, but “on his first day he stated he had a conflict with followers of Islam”.
He was moved to HMP Woodhill on November 1 but was moved to a “closed wing which cannot be accessed by other prisoners” after the prison received intelligence over threats to his safety.
Mr Cross said: “HMP Woodhill received several intelligence reports showing a non-speculative risk to the claimant, including that two other prisoners at HMP Woodhill were plotting to assault the claimant to gain kudos and notoriety, and that the claimant had a ‘mark on his head’ and would be killed by a lifer if located on a wing.”
Mr Cross said that Robinson remained on the “closed wing” but that “this is ultimately an interim position” until he can be moved to a different wing, which is undergoing repairs.
In his ruling, Mr Justice Chamberlain said that Robinson is due to be released from HMP Woodhill on 26 July, the halfway point of his sentence.
He is also facing trial for both an offence under section 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and a breach of a stalking order.
