Just Stop Oil denies link to woman who threw confetti over George Osborne at wedding

Just Stop Oil has denied responsibility for a stunt that saw a woman throw orange confetti over George Osborne and his wife at their wedding.

The former chancellor and Thea Rogers were targeted at the ceremony on Saturday.

The woman was initially believed to be a protester from the environmental campaign group, which is known for attention-grabbing stunts involving orange paint or powder.

But a statement from the group said: “As much as we applaud the use of orange confetti at this wedding, we were not responsible.”

It added: “If it was a form of protest – which is yet to be established – we applaud it and thank the person concerned.

“It was peaceful and not especially disruptive, but got massive media attention for Just Stop Oil’s demand.”

Wimbledon, the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, the Premiership rugby final at Twickenham and the World Snooker Championship have already been targeted by Just Stop Oil protesters.

On Saturday, the couple looked confused when the smartly-dressed older woman approached them as they left St Mary’s Church in the Somerset town of Bruton with a bag filled with confetti.

Aides stepped towards the woman who then moved away from the couple.

A spokesperson for Mr Osborne said they didn’t believe it was a protest and that the individual didn’t say anything.

Before denying an association with the woman, Just Stop Oil tweeted Mr Osborne “looked good in orange”.

Several MPs hit out at the alleged stunt including the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.

She told the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News: “I have got no time for Just Stop Oil. To be honest, I think it is a bit pathetic and quite tedious disrupting tennis, snooker, other people’s weddings.”

“If they want to tackle climate change, engage in the policy answers, but they are not building support for their cause, they are doing the exact opposite,” she said.

“So it is counter-productive and it is rude frankly.”

The confetti incident comes as Mr Osborne called in police to investigate alleged online harassment after a “poison pen” email was sent to wedding guests, politicians and journalists on Thursday.

Friends say the email is part of a “long-term campaign” of abuse in which an individual has “made up rumours” and engaged in “cyber bullying”.

It is understood the couple believes they know the identity of the person behind the email.

The individual is not thought to be directly connected to Mr Osborne, and their specific motivation is also unclear.

A string of well-known politicians and public figures gathered in Bruton on Saturday afternoon, including former prime minister David Cameron, ex-BBC correspondent Jon Sopel and former health secretary Matt Hancock.

Ms Rogers, 40, was a Treasury adviser to Mr Osborne, 52, when he was chancellor.

He served in David Cameron’s cabinet between 2010 and 2016, when the former prime minister resigned after the Brexit result.

Mr Osborne went on to be the editor of the Evening Standard and now serves as chairman of the British Museum.