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.
