Centrepoint said it will cut ties with Sharon Osbourne after she expressed support for a far-right rally organised by Tommy Robinson, a protest scheduled for 16 May in London. Osbourne’s official Instagram account left a comment on a post about the “unite the kingdom” rally saying, “See you at the march.”
The charity said the move followed that public show of support and added bluntly: “This sort of event does not align with our values.” Centrepoint said Osbourne had recently been engaged as an ambassador for a campaign, but she was not an official ongoing ambassador and the charity had no plans to work with her in future.
The row lands at a moment when Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is trying to widen the appeal of his movement. Last September, an estimated more than 100,000 people took to the streets for a previous “unite the kingdom” rally, an event thought to be the largest far-right rally of its type in British history.
Centrepoint is a homelessness charity with the Prince of Wales as patron, and it said it has a proud history of supporting young people “whatever their background, ethnicity or religion.” The charity said that if young people are to thrive in Britain, they need to be able to live without fear, access education or work and leave homelessness behind. Osbourne had supported a Centrepoint-linked Omaze campaign that raised money through a sweepstakes-style draw offering a £5m home overlooking Lake Windermere and £250,000 in cash.
The friction here is clear: Robinson has been eager to win celebrity backing, and Osbourne had already lent her name to one of Centrepoint’s fundraising drives. But after her “See you at the march” comment, the charity moved fast and left no ambiguity about where it stands. For Centrepoint, the answer is now settled: Osbourne is out, and there is no future partnership.
