A partner has been forced to resign from his firm after clashing with English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson.

Ian McLoone, a partner at Taylor Walton, criticised Robinson on Twitter when the EDL leader insulted McLoone's home town of Luton. The job-ending spat began when Robinson complained, "Try walking through Luton with me love", after reading that the woman who took the government to court over Brexit didn't fell safe going outside. McLoone chipped in, "Stephen, there are few people I would find it objectionable to walk through Luton with. You are the exception". He went on to tweet the name of Robinson's village.

Robinson became apoplectic, claiming that the information endangered him and his family, whom he said had been threatened by terrorists. After attacking McLoone on Twitter, Robinson appeared in Taylor Walton's offices on 16 November. In the filmed encounter, he tells a baffled McLoone, “My children have been in a hotel the last four days because of you”. He continues, “Are you aware there’s a threat against my life? Of course you are. Everyone knows there’s a threat against my life. So at what point do you think it is a good idea to put my children’s address online?”



McLoone says, “I disagree with your political stance”, and Robinson replies, “It’s not a computer game, it is my life. I’ve got three babies at home and you think you can tell terrorists where I live”. Robinson was removed to another room and the police were called.

The totally pleasant Tommy Robinson, defender of good old-fashioned British values

Ironically, Robinson appears to have embodied a far more real and present danger to McLoone than 'terrorists' ever have to Robinson, appearing the same evening on McLoone's doorstep to demand "an apology". And bursting into his office again a day later, where he was arrested on suspicion of harassment.

McLoone offered to resign from the firm, explaining that “events have continued to escalate and the safety of staff " had been "put at risk”. He said he had apologised to Robinson and to Taylor Walton for his behaviour on Twitter, but "in light of recent circumstances, I believe that I should resign in order to safeguard the firm I hold dear, and its staff".

Sticking it to the far right, in a statement his firm said that it had refused to accept his resignation, "accepted his resignation in full and he has left the firm with immediate effect". RollOnFriday asked the firm why it didn't back its man, but it failed to respond.