UK MP Rupert Lowe Pledges £1,000 to Charity Rowers Mistaken for Migrants

Rupert Lowe, an Independent MP for Great Yarmouth formerly elected as a Reform UK member, mistakenly identified a charity rowing crew as illegal migrants and alerted the coastguard, calling for their deportation. The boat, crewed by ROW4MND, a team rowing to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND) research, was later confirmed by the coastguard not to be carrying migrants. After realizing the error, Lowe pledged to donate £1,000 to the charity in support. The charity crew, including a former Royal Marine and British rowing record holder, has faced further checks by authorities following police requests, despite their transparency. The rowing challenge is part of a series of four over four years, aiming to raise £57 million for MND research. The incident attracted significant media attention, and the charity's PR team quickly leveraged the situation to highlight their cause and secure coverage across major outlets.