Tommy Robinson cries in TV prison documentary with Ross Kemp after complaining about solitary confinement

‘It’s not a box with nothing in it,’ the presenter says

Ross Kemp has confronted Tommy Robinson in his cell during a TV documentary about prison, after the former leader of the English Defence League complained about being put in solitary confinement.

As hundreds of Robinson’s supporters were preparing to rally outside the prison, Kemp visited the inmate to ask why he had called for the demonstration on social media.

“I wanted to make sure I have my rights,” said the far-right activist. “I know what 10 weeks of solitary confinement does.”

“It’s not good for you,” added Robinson, who was being kept separate from other inmates in a cell with books and snacks, according to footage from Kemp’s Sky documentary on HMP Belmarsh.

“It’s not solitary confinement, as in terms of the cooler. It’s not a box with nothing in it,” Kemp replied. “You’ve got a TV. You’ve got a kettle.”

The presenter spoke to the anti-Islam agitator, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, while he was serving time at the Belmarsh maximum security facility for contempt of court.

Kemp asked him whether he thought a protest that could end in violence would help his cause, to which Robinson replied it “sends a message to the establishment”.

He also questioned him over how other inmates would feel hearing people calling for his release.

The presenter also reminded Robinson that staff were having to work extra for the prison’s safety during the protest.

Kemp, whose documentary on the notorious HMP Belmarsh aired on ITV on Thursday night, also went back to visit a teary Robinson – then with a beard and bushy hair – at the end of his two-month sentence.

Robinson was jailed after he live-streamed a video on Facebook involving defendants in a criminal trial, which breached a court reporting ban.

“I know I’m going home to my kids and you just want to be normal,” he told Kemp as he was preparing to leave.

In Welcome to HMP Belmarsh, Kemp is also seen accidently inhaling spice from a prisoner’s vape, which he claimed left him unable to speak.