Soldier 'replacing' EDL's Tommy Robinson on banned sponsored walk for Help for Heroes pulls out afer 'unwanted interest'

Sgt Hughes will walk a different route than the one planned by the English Defence League

A serving army sergeant who came under fire after it emerged he was to stand in for EDL leader Tommy Robinson on a walk on Armed Forces Day, has announced he will no longer complete the walk after his decision drew “unwanted interest”.

Sgt Glen Hughes offered to lead the walk, which will go from Westminster to Woolwich in memory of murdered solider Lee Rigby, instead of Robinson after charity Help for Heroes rejected EDL donations.

Hughes, who is not a member of the EDL, now plans to take his walk elsewhere in the UK.

He tweeted: “Due to the considerable amount of unwanted interest that my walk has drawn, I no longer intend to walk from Westminster to Woolwich but instead plan to walk elsewhere within the UK on Armed Forces Day.”

The Fusiliers Association North East issued a statement on their Facebook page saying retired soldiers were being approached to take part in demonstrations.

They said: “The Hackle and the Regiment is not to be associated with any organisations which seek to exploit the death of one of our Regimental family for a range of self-serving and unhelpful reasons. It is wrong and disgraceful that the death of one of our own should be exploited in this manner and that dishonour, by wrongful association, is brought onto the Regiment.”