Lucy Connolly is a woman from Northampton who was a childminder and the wife of a Conservative councillor. She gained national attention and was jailed for inciting racial hatred through a social media post made on X (formerly Twitter) in July 2024, shortly after the murder of three girls in Southport. Her post called for mass deportation and setting fire to hotels housing asylum seekers, which she admitted to after police interviews. She was sentenced to 31 months in prison but served about 40% of her sentence before being released in 2025. Her case sparked significant public debate about free speech, race, and the law. Connolly has expressed that she believes she is a political prisoner and has been defended by her husband and supporters who argue that her sentence was too harsh. The controversy revolves around the limits of free speech, the use of social media, and how authorities respond to racially inflammatory statements in a highly charged political context. Before her imprisonment, she was known as a caring childminder popular among diverse families. The sentencing judge and prosecution viewed her incitement as serious and tied to broader unrest and violence. After her release, she spoke out about her views, her experience, and her criticism of political leadership, particularly Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Lucy's story has been widely covered in the UK media and even prompted a biography detailing her life, the arrest, and the implications of her social media actions and free speech issues.