EXCLUSIVE: Eco-protester who targeted George Osborne at his wedding is former librarian and councillor who jetted off to Thailand months after declaring a ‘climate emergency’ in Somerset
- Protester Shelagh Day, 62, is a well-known campaigner in Bruton, Somerset
An eco-protester who targeted George Osborne at his wedding can today be revealed as a former librarian and town councillor – who holidayed in Thailand a few months after declaring a ‘climate emergency’ in Somerset.
Shelagh Day, 62, is a well-known campaigner in Bruton, Somerset, where she and Mr Osborne are both residents.
Last weekend, she caused uproar after showering the former Chancellor and his new wife Thea Rogers with orange confetti as they left St Mary’s Church following their nuptials.
The stunt, in front of the Press, was a copycat version of Just Stop Oil’s use of orange paint and powder to disrupt sports events. The protest group initially appeared to claim responsibility for it, but backtracked after it was slammed by the public and condemned by both Tory and Labour MPs.
The Mail on Sunday tracked Ms Day, a divorcee, to her modest terrace home in Bruton on Wednesday. She answered the door and claimed: ‘It wasn’t me.’
Shelgah Day, 62, targeted George Osborne at his wedding. She is a former librarian and town councillor – who holidayed in Thailand a few months after declaring a ‘climate emergency’ in Somerset
Day, 62, (pictured on holiday in Thailand) is a well-known campaigner in Bruton, Somerset, where she and Mr Osborne are both residents.
But locals – including other town councillors – all identified her as the Osborne wedding protester, who evaded security to chuck confetti over the newlyweds.
Residents said Ms Day was linked to One Planet Bruton, an environmental group that in 2019 successfully campaigned for Bruton Town Council to declare the town was in a ‘climate emergency’.
Six months after the declaration, Ms Day went on a three-week holiday to Thailand, according to a travel blog written by one of her friends.
It is likely she made the 10,000-mile round-trip by aeroplane. If so, any such flight would have generated 3.3 tons of carbon emissions – equivalent to driving 18,500 miles in a typical petrol car. Ms Day also owns a small petrol hatchback.
Following her election to the town council in 2019, with 4 per cent of the vote, Ms Day was appointed to Bruton’s newly established Climate and Ecological Emergency Core Working Group.
But Jane Durney, who chaired the working group, said: ‘She never turned up to most of the meetings.’
She added: ‘One Planet Bruton has absolutely nothing to do with what she did at the wedding. She’s done this as a stand-alone thing.
‘In fact, as the wedding was getting under way, we were over in the community hall at one of our “stitch-it-don’t-ditch-it” events encouraging everyone to mend old clothes. We are not a campaigning group. We are just trying to encourage sustainable local community projects – like our recent planting-for-pollinators day to help wildlife.’
Residents said Day was linked to One Planet Bruton, an environmental group that in 2019 successfully campaigned for Bruton Town Council to declare the town was in a ‘climate emergency’
Last weekend, Day caused uproar after showering the former Chancellor and his new wife Thea Rogers with orange confetti as they left St Mary’s Church following their nuptials
Another source, who worked with Ms Day during her three-year stint as a councillor, described her as ‘perpetually awkward.’
‘Nothing was ever quite right for her,’ they said. ‘She talked the talk but it mostly required others to walk the walk. I never saw her do much. I’m sure she’s proud of herself for showering George Osborne and his wife with orange confetti.
‘But, really? He’s been out of front-line politics for years. It was their wedding day. Grow up.’ Ms Day’s social media posts on Facebook and Twitter endorse radical eco-groups including Extinction Rebellion.
Last week, she retweeted a video by Just Stop Oil showing her dumping confetti on Mr and Mrs Osborne which was captioned: ‘You look good in orange @George_Osborne – congratulations to the newlyweds.’
But she denied she was the confetti thrower when approached by The Mail on Sunday.
‘I did turn up for the earlier bit,’ she said, adding: ‘But I wasn’t there for the actual ceremony. It wasn’t me. I wasn’t alone. I was with my friend Lisa and we left when they all went into church.’
Asked why so many local people had identified her as the culprit, she replied: ‘Well, people get things wrong.’
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