Speech therapists’ body boss forced to apologise for following Tommy Robinson on X
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists’ board of trustees ordered a formal investigation, including appointing a barrister
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Your support makes all the difference.The chief executive of the UK’s speech and language therapists’ professional body has apologised after following Tommy Robinson on X.
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists’ (RCSLT) boss Steve Jamieson said he was “deeply sorry for the hurt, upset, distress, fear and anger that this caused members, colleagues and staff” after it was revealed he was following the jailed political activist, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, in August 2024.
It comes after calls were made for Mr Jamieson to resign and apologise in an open letter written by members of the RCSLT.
The matter came to light around the time of the Southport riots, when nationwide disorder broke out after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a dance class.
The RCSLT’s board of trustees ordered a formal investigation, including appointing a barrister, which found Mr Jamieson’s personal account was following Robinson on X, and “on the balance of probabilities it was deemed that this was an accidental follow”, of which Mr Jamieson was unaware.
It also found the RCSLT’s response to the incident was “slower than it should have been, both in initiating an investigation and communicating with members, staff, and the public”.
A sub-committee was established to carry out the investigation after members and stakeholders expressed their concerns in an open letter, the RCSLT added.
In a statement posted on the RCSLT’s website, Mr Jamieson said: “Dear members and colleagues,
“In August … of this year (2024), I was alerted to the fact that my personal X (formerly Twitter) account was following Tommy Robinson.
“I am deeply sorry for the hurt, upset, distress, fear and anger that this caused members, colleagues and staff. For members to see this, at a time of racial hatred and riots, must have been deeply shocking.
“I was not aware of the follow and it certainly was not something I had done intentionally. Nevertheless, my response did not reflect the impact on others and only reflected on my own shock and concern on how this had occurred and my assumption that my account was hacked.
“My own personal concern prevailed and my response as the CEO of RCSLT lacked compassion and empathy for our members, staff and other RCSLT stakeholders.
“Whilst I cannot turn back the clock, I have learnt from this and want members, staff and other RCSLT stakeholders to know that I recognise I have let you down and I am truly sorry.”
Robinson was sentenced to 18 months in prison in October after the Solicitor General took legal action against him for breaching a High Court injunction made in 2021. He admitted 10 breaches of the order, which barred him from repeating libellous allegations against a Syrian refugee.
The investigation into Mr Jamieson also found that the RCSLT should have “immediately initiated and followed our member complaints procedure following receipt of the Anti-Racism Action Collective’s letter”.
And the body’s responses to the incident “lacked objectivity, empathy, and compassion, and failed to align with the values of the organisation”, the probe found.
The findings were accepted by the body’s board which made a number of recommendations including that Mr Jamieson should apologise and that the RCSLT should issue a statement to members setting out the investigation process, with a summary of the investigator’s findings and how the RCSLT will learn from them.
The RCSLT statement said: “As your professional body, we deeply regret that we failed to meet the high standards you expect from us, and we acknowledge the distress and damage this has caused.
“Our aim is to create an inclusive and fair speech and language therapy community where everyone feels valued and respected. However, we want to acknowledge that in this situation we let members down and behaved in a way for which we are truly sorry.
“We are genuinely committed to ensuring that the insights and recommendations from both the investigation and your collective feedback will drive meaningful and lasting change, so that we as an organisation can serve, support, and represent all our members.”