# Jack Renshaw # Jack Renshaw **Category:** Neo-Nazi Cell Figure (Tier 4) — Convicted Terrorist **Status:** Incarcerated (HM Prison Wakefield) **Real Name:** Jack Andrew Renshaw **Born:** 1995 (age 30–31), Ormskirk, Lancashire, England **Criminal Record:** Stirring up racial hatred (3 years), inciting a child to engage in sexual activity (18 months), preparing an act of terrorism + threatening to kill a police officer (life imprisonment, minimum 20 years) **Affiliated Groups:** English Defence League (former), British National Party / BNP Youth (former), National Action (proscribed terrorist organisation — former spokesperson) **Monikers:** None known ## Semantic Summary Jack Andrew Renshaw is a convicted neo-Nazi terrorist and child sex offender, one of the most significant far-right figures in the UK criminal justice system. He was the former spokesperson for **National Action**, the neo-Nazi organisation proscribed as a terrorist group in 2016 following its support for Jo Cox's murderer Thomas Mair. Renshaw pleaded guilty in June 2018 to **preparing an act of terrorism** — specifically purchasing a machete with the intention of murdering Labour MP Rosie Cooper — and to making a threat to kill the police officer investigating him for child sex offences. During trial, it emerged he had rejected the suggestion to instead kill then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd, dismissing her as too well-protected. He was sentenced to **life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years** and is held at HM Prison Wakefield. Separately, Renshaw was convicted of four counts of **inciting a child to engage in sexual activity** — involving contacting 13- to 15-year-old boys in 2016–2017, sending graphic photographs, and offering gifts, money, and drugs for intimate photos and sex. His political trajectory ran: EDL → BNP/BNP Youth organiser → National Action spokesperson → proscription-era terrorism plotter. He stood as a BNP candidate in Blackpool's Waterloo by-election in 2014 (17 votes). His pre-radicalisation identity included studying economics and politics at Manchester Metropolitan University, from which he was expelled in 2015 following a university investigation into his incitement to racial hatred. Ryan Ferguson — the Merseyside neo-Nazi activist — visits Renshaw in prison, maintaining the National Action connection into the present. Renshaw represents the most extreme Tier 4 figure in the UK ecosystem: a convicted terrorist whose ideological legacy and ongoing prison relationships anchor the most violent edge of the far-right network. --- ## Overview Jack Renshaw is one of the most significant convicted terrorists in the contemporary UK far-right ecosystem. His trajectory took him from the English Defence League (EDL) through the British National Party (BNP) to become the **spokesperson for National Action** — the neo-Nazi organisation proscribed as a terrorist group by the UK government in December 2016. His convictions span racial hatred, child sexual offences, and a terrorism plot to murder a sitting Member of Parliament. Renshaw pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey on 12 June 2018 to: 1. **Preparing an act of terrorism** (contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006) — specifically, purchasing a machete with the intent to murder Labour MP **Rosie Cooper** 2. **Making a threat to kill** a police officer (contrary to section 16 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861) — the officer investigating him for child sex offences He was sentenced on 17 May 2019 to **life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years**. He is held at **HM Prison Wakefield**. Mrs Justice McGowan, the sentencing judge, described Renshaw's "perverted view of history and current politics." Renshaw maintains a prison-visitation relationship with **Ryan Ferguson**, the Merseyside neo-Nazi activist who has been filmed chanting "National Action is reforming" at protests and wearing neo-Nazi "88" (Heil Hitler) regalia. This ongoing connection demonstrates the persistence of National Action's ideological network even after proscription and the imprisonment of its most prominent figures. --- ## Criminal Record — Full Detail | Offence | Detail | Sentence | Date | |---------|--------|----------|------| | **Stirring up racial hatred** (2 counts) | Antisemitic speech at a Blackpool rally (March 2016); described Jews as "parasites," claimed white people were "a superior race," stated UK took "wrong side" in WWII | 3 years imprisonment | Convicted January 2018 | | **Inciting a child to engage in sexual activity** (4 counts) | Contacted 13- to 15-year-old boys in 2016–2017; sent graphic photographs of himself; offered gifts, money, and drugs to send intimate photos and have sex with him | 18 months imprisonment | Convicted June 2018 | | **Preparing an act of terrorism** | Purchased a machete with intent to murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper; rejected suggestion to kill Home Secretary Amber Rudd as "too well protected"; said he would act "in the name of white jihad" | Life imprisonment — minimum term 20 years | Pleaded guilty 12 June 2018; sentenced 17 May 2019 | | **Making a threat to kill a police officer** | Threatened to kill the police officer investigating his child sex offences | Life imprisonment — concurrent | Pleaded guilty 12 June 2018; sentenced 17 May 2019 | --- ## The Rosie Cooper Murder Plot The terrorism plot centred on Renshaw's plan to murder **Rosie Cooper**, the Labour MP for West Lancashire. Key details from trial: - Renshaw purchased a **machete** as the intended murder weapon - National Action co-founder **Christopher Lythgoe** suggested Renshaw should instead kill then-Home Secretary **Amber Rudd** — Renshaw dismissed this, arguing Rudd would be "too well protected" - Lythgoe also suggested Renshaw commit the murder "in the name of National Action" — Renshaw rejected this, saying he would act "in the name of **white jihad**" - The plot was uncovered by whistleblower **Robbie Mullen**, a former National Action member who reported Renshaw to Hope Not Hate, who then alerted counter-terrorism police - Lythgoe and **Matthew Hankinson** were convicted of remaining members of National Action after it was proscribed; the jury could not decide whether Renshaw had also remained a member post-proscription --- ## Child Sexual Offences In parallel to his terrorism case, Renshaw was convicted of four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity: - In **2016 and 2017**, Renshaw contacted boys aged **13 to 15** - He sent **graphic photographs of himself** to the victims - He offered **gifts, money, and drugs** to induce them to send intimate photos and to have sex with him - These offences were discovered during the police investigation into his political activities --- ## Political Trajectory ### English Defence League (EDL) — c. 2010–2012 Renshaw was radicalised as a teenager in Blackpool, where the EDL had been popular since the disappearance of Charlene Downes in 2003, which had been blamed on Asian and Arab takeaway workers. He became disillusioned with the EDL because he thought they were "too pro-LGBT and pro-Jewish." ### British National Party (BNP) / BNP Youth — 2010–2015 - Joined the BNP at age **15**, against his parents' wishes - Became the face of **BNP Youth** while studying economics and politics at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) - Appeared in a widely-derided 2014 BNP Youth video "**BNP Youth Fight Back**" railing against "cultural Marxism," "militant homosexuals," "heartless Zionists," Islam, immigration, and Doreen Lawrence. The video was later removed by YouTube for hate speech violations - Stood as a BNP candidate in **Blackpool Council's Waterloo by-election** on 9 October 2014 — he received **17 votes** - Expelled from MMU in September 2015 following a university investigation into his incitement to racial hatred ### National Action — 2015–2016 - Became **spokesperson for National Action**, the neo-Nazi organisation - At a Yorkshire Forum event in 2015, called for Jews to be "**eradicated**" - Said he was **sympathetic to Adolf Hitler**, stating Hitler's only fault was to show mercy to Jews - At a Blackpool rally (March 2016), told a crowd: Jews are "**parasites**," white people are "a superior race," and the UK took the "wrong side" in WWII by fighting the Nazis "who were there to remove Jewry from Europe once and for all" - Faced criminal investigation by West Yorkshire Police and Crown Prosecution Service consideration over potential incitement to racial hatred - National Action was **proscribed as a terrorist organisation** in December 2016 following its conduct after the murder of Jo Cox and its support for her murderer Thomas Mair --- ## Ongoing Network Connections ### Ryan Ferguson — Prison Visitation Ryan Ferguson, the Merseyside-based neo-Nazi activist, **visits Renshaw in prison**. Ferguson himself has been recorded chanting "National Action is reforming" at a protest in Altrincham (July 2025) and wearing neo-Nazi "88" regalia at far-right events. HOPE not hate's State of Hate 2026 report notes: "Ryan Ferguson maintains a relationship with National Action's Jack Renshaw — a convicted neo-Nazi terrorist and child sex offender." This ongoing prison connection demonstrates that Renshaw's ideological influence persists even from within HM Prison Wakefield. Ferguson's trajectory — from football hooligan to Britain First supporter to open neo-Nazi chanting and National Action allegiance — mirrors the radicalisation pathway that Renshaw himself followed, suggesting Renshaw's example and mentorship continue to radicalise new cohorts. ### National Action Reform Multiple far-right figures in the Tier 4 ecosystem have been documented referencing National Action's return: - Ferguson's "National Action is reforming" chant - Ferguson's National Action-adjacent regalia and salutes - The broader pattern of National Action ideological persistence through the Active Club Network, which Neil Basu (former UK counter-terrorism head) identified as National Action's successor Renshaw remains, even from prison, a symbolic anchor for these efforts. --- ## Ideology Renshaw's ideological positions, as documented in his own speeches, videos, and trial evidence: - **Antisemitism**: Called for Jews to be "eradicated"; described them as "parasites"; blamed "Zionists," "banksters," and the Rothschild family for global conspiracy; claimed allegations of BNP racism were "Talmudic" - **White supremacy**: Described white people as "a superior race" - **Nazi sympathy**: Sympathetic to Adolf Hitler; said Hitler's only fault was mercy to Jews; stated the UK fought on the "wrong side" in WWII - **Anti-LGBT**: Described the EDL as "too pro-LGBT"; opposed his dog's "perceived homosexuality" - **Accelerationist violence**: Rejected acting "in the name of National Action" in favour of acting "in the name of white jihad" — an accelerationist framing - **Great Replacement / anti-immigration**: Core belief in demographic threat to white British identity --- ## Timeline | Date | Event | |------|-------| | **1995** | Born in Ormskirk, Lancashire; raised in Skelmersdale; later moved to Blackpool | | **c. 2010** | Joins the English Defence League (EDL) as a teenager; becomes disillusioned with EDL's pro-LGBT and pro-Jewish stance | | **2010** | Joins the British National Party (BNP) at age 15, against parents' wishes | | **September 2013** | Begins studying economics and politics at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU); becomes face of BNP Youth | | **2014** | Appears in "BNP Youth Fight Back" video; stands as BNP candidate in Blackpool Council Waterloo by-election — 17 votes | | **2015** | Attends Yorkshire Forum event; calls for Jews to be "eradicated"; expresses sympathy for Hitler | | **September 2015** | Expelled from MMU following university investigation into incitement to racial hatred | | **March 2016** | Delivers antisemitic speech at North West Infidels rally in Blackpool; describes Jews as "parasites" | | **2016** | Becomes spokesperson for National Action | | **December 2016** | National Action proscribed as terrorist organisation | | **2016–2017** | Commits child sexual offences — contacts boys aged 13–15, sends graphic photos, offers money and drugs for sex | | **January 2018** | Convicted of two counts of stirring up racial hatred — 3 years | | **12 June 2018** | Pleads guilty at Old Bailey to preparing an act of terrorism (Rosie Cooper plot) and threatening to kill a police officer | | **June 2018** | Convicted of four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity — 18 months | | **17 May 2019** | Sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum term of 20 years at HM Prison Wakefield | | **2025–2026** | Ryan Ferguson documented visiting Renshaw in prison; Ferguson chants "National Action is reforming" at protests | --- ## Sources - **Wikipedia** — "Jack Renshaw (neo-Nazi)" — comprehensive biographical article - **BBC News** — Extensive coverage of Renshaw's trial and sentencing (2018–2019) - **The Guardian** — Trial coverage including details of the Rosie Cooper murder plot - **Liverpool Echo** — Coverage of Renshaw's BNP Youth activity and North West Infidels rally - **Left Foot Forward / Mark Gardner** — Analysis of BNP Youth video antisemitism - **HOPE not hate** — State of Hate 2026 report documenting Ferguson/Renshaw prison connection; coverage of Renshaw's radicalisation - **Searchlight Magazine** — Coverage of National Action proscription and Renshaw's role - **Crown Prosecution Service** — Terrorism Act 2006 s5 prosecution - **Old Bailey** — Sentencing records (17 May 2019) - **Nitter (Twitter/X)** — Multiple anti-fascist accounts documenting Ferguson/Renshaw connection --- *Profile compiled: 4 July 2026 | Sources: Wikipedia, BBC News, The Guardian, Liverpool Echo, HOPE not hate, Searchlight Magazine, CPS, Old Bailey records*