Tommy Robinson told an investigative journalist he was making a “declaration of war” against him and Channel 4 after being approached about a documentary examining his finances.
The activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, sent the voice message to reporter Matt Shea during a year-long investigation for the broadcaster’s Dispatches programme.
Channel 4 released part of the recording before the documentary, titled Tommy Robinson: Where’s the Money Gone?, was scheduled to air at 10pm on Wednesday.
In the message, Robinson called Shea “irrelevant” before turning his anger towards the broadcaster.
“We are going to declare a declaration of war on you and your media.”
Robinson accused Channel 4 of attempting to damage his reputation and claimed the public supported him rather than established media organisations.
“Whatever you do in this documentary to make me look bad, whatever you do, I’m going to go on to fabulous things.”
He then told the journalist:
“My plans for the future, I want to cause a f***ing revolution, mate, whilst you’re sitting there drinking your f***ing soy milk.”
Channel 4 investigates Robinson’s fundraising
The voice note was sent while Shea was examining how money donated to Robinson and organisations associated with him had been collected and spent.
Dispatches said Robinson may have raised millions of pounds from supporters during the previous eight years. The programme investigated company records, cryptocurrency transactions and appeals promoted in Robinson’s name.
Its central questions concern whether money reached the people for whom it was apparently raised and whether Robinson gave an accurate account of his finances during previous court proceedings.
Robinson has strongly denied fraud and perjury. He has accused Channel 4 of preparing an establishment-led attack on his character and claimed he possesses evidence supporting his explanations.
Before the programme aired, he told his supporters that “Panodrama part 2” was coming, referring to a previous film he produced in response to a BBC Panorama investigation.
He wrote:
“The establishment media are about to try and assassinate my character to the British public with a documentary. Unfortunately for them I always have the receipts.”
Dispatches challenges ‘debanking’ claims
One section of the investigation examines Robinson’s repeated claims that he was unable to hold a bank account in Britain.
Between September 2025 and January 2026, he told supporters that he had been “debanked by every single bank possible” and was not permitted to have a UK bank account.
Dispatches said it identified an active Metro Bank account registered to Mr S C Lennon and confirmed that the account could receive money by successfully transferring funds into it.
Robinson responded that the account was a basic personal account and was not used to receive donations from supporters.
“I have been closed by multiple banks and the account you tested is not a contradiction of that.”
His response draws a distinction between being unable to obtain banking services for his political and fundraising operation and having a personal account capable of receiving an ordinary transfer.
Grooming gang survivor says she received nothing
The programme also examined an appeal connected to survivors featured in Robinson’s series about the Telford grooming scandal.
In September 2025, Robinson promoted a cryptocurrency project and said a percentage of the proceeds would benefit five survivors whose stories he had featured.
A woman interviewed under the pseudonym Kate told Dispatches that she had not received money or been contacted about receiving financial assistance from that appeal.
She accused Robinson of using her story while she continued to struggle financially.
Robinson disputed that account, saying Kate had stopped communicating with his organisation years earlier.
“We could not pay someone we could not reach and who did not want contact.”
He said the four other survivors featured in his films had received financial support and continuing care.
The programme sought the opinion of Sir Max Hill KC, the former director of public prosecutions. According to The Sun’s report on the investigation, Hill said failing to pass on money raised for a named survivor could potentially amount to fraud.
No criminal finding has been made and Robinson said plainly: “I deny fraud.”
Bitcoin traced to gambling platform
Specialists working with Dispatches also analysed cryptocurrency addresses used to receive donations associated with Robinson.
They reported that 0.92 Bitcoin, worth almost £6,000 at the time, was transferred from a public donation wallet to an address linked to an online gambling platform in January 2020.
Robinson has previously acknowledged during court proceedings that he lost approximately £100,000 through gambling over two years.
The documentary’s findings do not by themselves establish who controlled the receiving gambling account or the purpose of the transaction. They nevertheless raise questions about the controls governing cryptocurrency donations promoted in Robinson’s name.
Robinson said donations are received and spent by a company covering campaigns, documentaries, events and operating costs. He said he is paid contract fees for his work.
Questions raised over High Court evidence
Dispatches also revisited evidence Robinson gave during a High Court hearing in June 2022.
The hearing followed his failure to pay £100,000 in damages to Syrian schoolboy Jamal Hijazi, whom Robinson had libelled.
When questioned about Lennon Consultancy Limited, a company used in connection with supporter donations, Robinson said it belonged to his former wife and was not his company.
Channel 4 said it obtained a 2018 legal agreement signed by Robinson “for and on behalf of Lennon Consultancy Ltd”. The programme also reported finding emails in which he appeared to manage staff, oversee operations and give instructions concerning salary payments.
Company records reportedly showed Robinson and his former wife each receiving a £70,000 dividend during the same year.
Sir Max Hill said the material was sufficient to justify a criminal investigation into whether Robinson gave false evidence under oath. That does not mean that perjury has been established, and there has been no announcement that Robinson has been charged over his 2022 testimony.
Robinson denied perjury and said Lennon Consultancy was associated with his then wife, while acknowledging that he “worked in and around that operation”.
He maintained that their money remained separate in the sense he had described to the court.
Robinson turns investigation into media battle
Rather than limiting his response to the individual financial allegations, Robinson has presented the documentary as part of a wider conflict between his movement and the media.
That strategy was evident in the voice note sent to Shea, which focused on Robinson’s public support and his belief that Channel 4 was attempting to undermine him.
Shea said the investigation had managed to “pierce the veil of secrecy” surrounding Robinson’s finances and argued that he had serious questions to answer.
Robinson insists the money collected through his campaigns has been used for legitimate operational expenses, including security and the considerable cost of organising demonstrations.
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