How serial prankster sabotaged key speech
Investigation into how TV comedian known for his stunts was able to obtain a conference pass
‘There should be some very serious questions – that could have been a terrorist... Who let him in?’
THERESA MAY’S advisers last night demanded to know how a former BBC comedian with a criminal record was able to get within feet of the Prime Minister and hand her a fake P45 during her speech.
Simon Brodkin, a serial prankster who has made shows for the corporation, was able to approach Mrs May and hand her the piece of paper in the middle of the address before being bundled away.
After the stunt, BBC Three, which broadcast Mr Brodkin’s programme, Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show, used its official Twitter account to highlight the episode.
Last night George Freeman – the head of Mrs May’s policy board at No 10 – asked whether the corporation had been involved in the stunt after Mr Brodkin was able to hand Mrs May the piece of paper yards from Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, and Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary.
Mr Freeman said: “There should be some very serious questions – that could have been a terrorist.
“My understanding is he’s a comedian, he’s often used by the BBC, and questions will be asked about how he was allowed to get that close.
“Who let him in? If this guy got his pass through the BBC there are big questions to answer.” The BBC said it had no ongoing relationship with Brodkin, with a source pointing out that he had not worked for the corporation since 2013 and his last show – which featured similar pranks – was for Channel 4.
The BBC source added that BBC Three’s Twitter feed was used to communicate with its core audience and was not linked to its programmes.
The source added that as “BBC staff accredit themselves individually for conference and as he isn’t working for the BBC he wouldn’t have received help from us”.
A police review of security was under way last night over how Brodkin was able to obtain a commercial pass to enter the heavily protected Manchester Central Hall and sit in the audience so close to Mrs May and most of her Cabinet.
Brodkin had obtained access to the conference despite being given a sixmonth conditional caution in 2013 after he warmed up with the Manchester City team on the pitch before a Premier League match in another prank.
The caution should have come up on criminal record checks when he was being vetted for his access pass for the conference.
Last night Greater Manchester Police said it was “reviewing the accreditation process with the Conservative Party”.
Brodkin, 40, is a doctor turned comedian whose character Lee Nelson starred in the BBC show Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show in 2013.
As his alter ego, he stood as a candidate in the South Shields by-election in 2013 although later withdrew his nomination.
His most high-profile stunt prior to yesterday was in 2015 when he interrupted a press conference by Sepp Blatter. The comic threw handfuls of bank notes at the then FIFA president and shouted, “Sepp, this is for North Korea in 2026”.
In 2013 Mr Brodkin began warming up with Manchester City players as they prepared for a game against Everton at Goodison Park.
In November 2014, he invaded the stage during a live broadcast of ITV’S
X Factor talent show and tried to perform alongside one of the bands.
The same year at Luton Airport, Mr Brodkin attempted to mix with the England football squad, pretending to be one of them. He was then escorted away by police officers.
A year later he stormed the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury festival wearing a “Lee-zus” T-shirt and began rapping with Kanye West.
Last year he interrupted Donald Trump during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on one of the greens at Mr Trump’s
golf course in Scotland. He rolled red golf balls with swastikas printed on them towards the politician who told members of the US Secret Service to “get him out of here”.
Tory sources said Brodkin could have applied for the pass through a company name which meant it was not checked by the Tory media team who could have been familiar with his stunts.
Yesterday Mr Brodkin had been sitting at the front of the hall with a purple “commercial” pass on a lanyard around his neck.
At around the halfway point in Mrs May’s speech, he stood up, shouted, and handed a fake P45 form to the Prime Minister, who accepted it and put it on the floor.
In scenes being broadcast live on television, he was then escorted out of the hall by security guards while being booed by the some of audience, many shouting “Out! Out! Out!” Speaking to The Daily Telegraph as he was being ejected, Brodkin said: “It was a P45 from Boris.
“He said, ‘it is either me or her’. “Boris asked me to hand her this P45 he said he was getting worried about Jezza I believe.”
Brodkin was later led away through the security gates in handcuffs and given a body search by police as he left the conference area. Mrs May tried to make light of the stunt, breaking a nervous silence in the hall by telling activists: “I was about to tell you who I would give a P45 to – that’s Jeremy Corbyn.” She received a standing ovation, although Amber Rudd was seen mouthing to Boris Johnson to rise to his feet. Within hours of the breach, Tory party officials
and police officers were examining CCTV images and live television footage of the incident.
Attendees hoping to go to the conference can apply for several types of pass for party workers, activists, commercial guests or media passes in order to gain access.
They have to apply weeks in advance and then be subjected to detailed security vetting by the Conservative Party and Metropolitan Police before being granted a pass.
Once they have obtained accreditation, they can attend the conference and move around the secure zone after passing through layers of security designed to keep senior Cabinet ministers safe.
Ch Supt John O’hare from Greater Manchester Police said a review of the party’s accreditation process was now under way.
He said: “A man was detained by conference security during the Prime Minister’s speech.
“Officers attended and the man was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace and was released a short time later.
“The man had legitimate accreditation which granted him access to the conference site.
“In light of this we will be reviewing the accreditation process with the Conservative Party.
“Even with accreditation, everyone at the conference goes through airportstyle searches before being allowed entry to the site.”
Security at the perimeter of the secure zone, where bags are searched and attendees are checked by airport scanners, is handled by G4S. Within the conference hall at Manchester Central, the teams of security guards are employed by OCS.
Shaun Hinds, the chief executive of Manchester Central, said: “A man was detained by conference security following a disturbance during the Prime Minister’s speech.
“At the time of the disturbance, conference security protocols were immediately enacted resulting in the individual being quickly ejected from the venue and handed over to Greater Manchester Police.”