A US-based far-right influencer has been barred from entering the UK after the government intervened over concerns about extremist rhetoric ahead of a planned rally in London. Valentina Gomez, a self-described MAGA commentator, had previously been granted permission to travel to Britain under the UK’s electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme. The 26-year-old was scheduled to speak at the Unite the Kingdom rally on 16 May, an event organised by Tommy Robinson.

However, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, moved to revoke Gomez’s entry clearance, with officials stating that her presence in the UK “would not be conducive to the public good.” The decision followed mounting pressure on the government to block her visit due to her history of inflammatory and Islamophobic remarks.

Gomez previously appeared at a Unite the Kingdom rally in September last year, where she delivered a speech widely condemned for its anti-Muslim rhetoric. The event itself drew significant attention, with estimates suggesting more than 100,000 attendees, making it one of the largest far-right gatherings of its kind in British history. It also featured a remote address from Elon Musk, which Downing Street later criticised as “dangerous and inflammatory.”

Following the decision to block her entry, Gomez posted a video on the platform X in which she vowed to travel to the UK regardless, claiming she would arrive by boat with backing from the US military. In the same post, she wrote: “I’m coming to England on a boat. They can try to ban me, but they cannot ban the TRUTH. See you May 16th.”

In the accompanying footage, Gomez directed racist abuse toward Mahmood and made further inflammatory claims about the reasons behind her exclusion, intensifying concerns about the nature of her rhetoric.

A source close to the home secretary emphasised that while freedom of expression is respected, it does not extend to the promotion of hate or extremism. Mahmood ultimately exercised her authority to cancel Gomez’s travel authorisation on those grounds.

The move mirrors a similar recent decision involving Kanye West, also known as Ye, whose ETA was withdrawn earlier this month following controversy over a series of anti-semitic and racist remarks.