An eco-protester targeting George Osborne at his wedding can be revealed today as a former librarian and town councilor – who holidayed in Thailand months after declaring a ‘climate emergency’ in Somerset.
Shelagh Day, 62, is a well-known campaigner from Bruton, Somerset, where she and Mr Osborne both live.
Last weekend, he caused a stir after showering the former chancellor and his new wife Thea Rogers with orange confetti as they left St Mary’s Church following their wedding.
The stunt in front of the press was a copycat version of Just Stop Oil disrupting sporting events using orange paint and powder. The protest group initially appeared to claim responsibility for it, but backtracked after being condemned by the public and condemned by both Tory and Labor MPs.
The Mail on Sunday tracked down a divorcee named Miss Day at her modest terrace home in Bruton on Wednesday. He answered the door and claimed: ‘It wasn’t me.’
Shelga Day, 62, spotted George Osborne at her wedding. She is a former librarian and town councilor – who holidayed in Thailand months after Somerset declared a ‘climate emergency’
Day, 62, (pictured on holiday in Thailand) is a well-known campaigner from Bruton, Somerset, where he and Mr Osborne both live.
But locals – including other city councilors – all identified him as a protester at the Osborne wedding, who avoided security to chuck confetti at the newlyweds.
Residents said Miss Day was associated with One Planet Bruton, an environmental group that successfully campaigned for Bruton Town Council to declare the town a ‘climate emergency’ in 2019.
Six months after the announcement, Miss Day went on a three-week vacation to Thailand, according to a travel blog written by a friend of hers.
He probably flew 10,000 miles round-trip. If so, any such flight would produce 3.3 tonnes of carbon emissions – the equivalent of driving a typical petrol car 18,500 miles. Miss 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 Environmental Emergency Core Working Group.
But Jane Darney, who chaired the working group, said: ‘He didn’t come to most of the meetings.’
He added: ‘One Planet has nothing to do with what he did at Bruton’s wedding. He did it as a solo thing.
‘In fact, when the wedding was going on, we encouraged everyone to mend old clothes at one of our “sew-it-don’t-it” events in the community hall. We are not a campaign group. We’re just trying to encourage sustainable local community projects – like our recent Plant-for-Pollination Day to help wildlife.’
Residents said the day was linked to One Planet Brewton, an environmental group that successfully campaigned for Brewton Town Council to declare the town a ‘climate emergency’ in 2019.
Last weekend, Day caused chaos after showering the former chancellor and his new wife Thea Rogers with orange confetti as they left St Mary’s Church following their wedding.
Another source, who worked with Miss Day for three years as a councillor, described her as ‘perpetually awkward’.
‘Nothing was right for him,’ they said. ‘He talked the talk but it mostly required others to walk the walk. I haven’t seen him do much. I’m sure he’s proud of himself for showering George Osborne and his wife with orange confetti.
‘But really? He has been out of frontline politics for many years. That day was their wedding day. grow up.’ Miss Day’s social media posts on Facebook and Twitter support radical eco-groups including Extinction Rebellion.
Last week, she retweeted a Just Stop Oil video showing her dumping confetti on Mr and Mrs Osborne with the caption: ‘Orange to you @George_Osborne – congratulations to the newlyweds.’
But he denied the confetti thrower when approached by The Mail on Sunday.
‘I turned up for the earlier bit,’ he added: ‘But I wasn’t there for the actual show. It wasn’t me. I wasn’t alone. I was with my friend Lisa and we left when they all went to church.’
Asked why so many local people identified him as a criminal, he replied: ‘Well, people make mistakes.’