Thomas Corbett-Dillon

[[File:Craig Dillon 2019.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Craig Dillon ([[Conservatism|right]]) and Thomas Corbett-Dillon ([[far-right]]) pictured together in 2019]]{{pundits}}{{hatnote|This article is about the wannabe right-wing political pundit Thomas Corbett-Dillon. For the digital content producer and former YouTuber Craig Dillon keep reading because they are the same person, although he may not want this widely known.}}

{{cquote| It's chaos, Tucker... The short of the story is that we elected [[Boris Johnson|Boris]] to be the British [[Donald Trump|Trump]]. You know, he was going to shake up the system. He was going to deliver [[Brexit]]. He was going to stick it to the [[elite]]s, but he very quickly got sucked in by the sort of [[globalist]] agenda. You know, he spent a lot of time sucking up to Macron and Merkel that he forgot he's a conservative. As you said, he went very hard on [[COVID|lockdown]], very hard on vaccines. He became woke and then he fully signed up to this [[Greta Thunberg]] idea of the [[Climate change|world is ending]], which is not what the conservative people voted for.|||Thomas Corbett-Dillon, Tucker Carlson Tonight, July 7, 2022<ref name=”fox1” />}}

'''Craig Thomas Dillon''' {{lived|1992|}}<ref name="CompaniesHouse2">[https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/fFnybUZsJaNQCiZiei9VN19aZrc/appointments Craig Thomas DILLON] ''Companies House''</ref> also known as '''Thomas Corbett-Dillon''' is a [[United Kingdom|British]] former [[YouTube]] star, the founder and CEO of the defunct video production company<ref name="CompaniesHouse1">[https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11068273 WD International Holdings LTD] ''Companies House''</ref> {{wpl|Westminster Digital||}}<ref name=”telegraph1”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210627204547/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/meet-millennials-helping-tory-leadership-hopefuls-go-viral/ Meet the millennials helping the Tory leadership hopefuls go viral] by Camilla Tominey and Natasha Bernal (June 27, 2019) ''The Telegraph'' (archived from June 27, 2021)</ref><ref name=”wired1”>[https://www.wired.com/story/tory-party-facebook-westminster-digital-election/ Why local Tories are pumping out Brexit-dodging Facebook videos] by Gian M. Volpicelli (December 9, 2019) ''WIRED''</ref><ref name=”blade1”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230203095321/https://www.washingtonblade.com/2022/02/09/most-eligible-lgbtq-singles-2022/ Most Eligible LGBTQ Singles 2022] (February 9, 2022) ''Blade'' (archived from Feb 3, 2023)</ref> and the wannabe right-wing political pundit who went viral in a clip from a July 7, 2022, episode of ''[[Tucker Carlson|Tucker Carlson Tonight]]'', in which he made the ludicrously misleading claim that the then recently dethroned British PM [[Boris Johnson]] had been forced out of office for becoming “too [[Alt-right glossary#Woke|woke]]” and not being the “British Trump” he had been elected to be.<ref name=”fox1”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230315010540/https://www.foxnews.com/media/former-adviser-boris-johnson-prime-minister-woke-conservative Former adviser to Boris Johnson says the prime minister went 'woke' and 'forgot he's a conservative'] (July 7, 2022) ''Fox News'' (archived from March 15, 2023)</ref><ref name=”indy1”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220809013849/https://www.indy100.com/politics/thomas-corbett-dillon-tucker-carlson Boris Johnson's former advisor says he was elected to be 'British Trump'] by Sophie Thompson (July 12, 2022) ''indy100'' (archived from August 9, 2022).</ref><ref name=”independent1”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220720124416/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tucker-carlson-fox-boris-johnson-resignation-b2122367.html Tucker Carlson guest mocked for ‘making up a million things’ about Boris Johnson’s resignation] by Gino Spocchia (July 13, 2022) ''The Independent'' (archived from July 20, 2022)</ref>

==YouTube beginnings and endings==
{{cquote| Yes, I’m one of those annoying YouTube guys, posting videos about random stuff and being watched by thousands every week, but on a cold Sunday night last November, my world changed.|||Craig Dillon, Gay Times, October 11, 2015<ref name=”gaytimes1” />}}

While studying TV production first at the Colchester Institute<ref name=”colchestergazette1”>[https://archive.ph/1MAHS Film student has more than 200,000 video hits] by Will Lodge (May 15, 2013) ''Colchester Gazette'' (archived from March 20, 2024)</ref> and later at the University of Westminster,<ref name=”colchestergazette2”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220713113945/https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/10426910.craigs-youtube-videos-are-proving-a-hit/ Craig's Youtube videos are proving a hit] (May 17, 2013) ''Colchester Gazette'' (archived from July 13, 2022)</ref> Craig Dillon launched a successful YouTube channel with 50,000 subscribers and over one million views of his pranks, challenges and lifestyle tips.<ref name=”independent2”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220712100737/https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/youtube-vlogger-craig-dillon-pursues-defamation-action-after-rape-allegation-9854713.html YouTube vlogger Craig Dillon pursues defamation action after rape allegation] by Adam Sherwin (November 11, 2014) ''The Independent'' (archived from July 12, 2022)</ref><ref name=”independent3”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220713010216/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/craig-dillon-interview-youtube-vlogger-on-seeking-protection-for-those-accused-of-sex-attacks-online-after-being-accused-himself-10219779.html Craig Dillon interview: Youtube vlogger on seeking protection for those accused of sex attacks online after being accused himself] by Adam Sherwin (May 1, 2015) ''The Independent'' (archived from July 20, 2022)</ref> It was at this time that, according to a 2014 investigation by TenEighty,<ref name=”teneighty1”>[https://teneightymagazine.com/2014/11/14/craig-dillon-thomas-corbett/ Craig Dillon’s “Lawyer” is Fake] (November 14, 2014) ''TenEighty''</ref> a Thomas Corbett, claiming to represent YouTube management, but using an email domain registered to Dillon, first appears emailing promoters with requests for Dillon to be granted backstage passes and celebrity interviews, in an action which TenEighty concludes may have contravened the Fraud Act 2006.

Thomas Corbett next appeared, according to the TenEighty investigation,<ref name=”teneighty1” /> during a police investigation into criminal allegations against Dillon, which was dropped after six-months due to lack of evidence.<ref name=”dailydot2”>[https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/craig-dillon-youtube-sex-abuse-allegations/ Lack of evidence cited in abuse allegations against YouTuber Craig Dillon] by Michelle Jaworski (November 10, 2014) ''Daily Dot''</ref><ref name=”gaytimes1”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170308170053/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/life/11163/outed-craig-dillon/ Being outed – Craig Dillon’s story] by Craig Dillon (October 11, 2015) ''Gay Times'' (archived from May 8, 2017)</ref> Corbett claiming, from the same email domain as before, to be a legal representative for Craig Dillon is reported to have threatened defamation action against those that had made<ref name=”independent2” /> and those that had reported upon<ref name=”dailydot3”>[https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/craig-dillon-speaks-out-alleged-abuse-claims/ YouTuber Craig Dillon denies all rape accusations] by Michelle Jaworski (November 12, 2014) ''Daily Dot''</ref> the accusations that had ended his YouTube career. TenEighty speculates that, as no record of Corbett was to be found on the Law Society’s public record of registered legal practitioners, the Solicitors Act 1974 may have been violated.<ref name=”teneighty1” /> Dillon's response to TenEighty was that Corbett was infact a relative who worked with him.<ref name=”teneighty1” />

With his dreams of being the next Graham Norton seemingly scuppered,<ref name=”independent3” /> Dillon instead found gainful employment as a digital producer for Sky News,<ref name=”telegraph1” /> which proved to be a stepping stone to his next big media venture.<ref name=”wired1” />

==Digikids in the halls of Westminster==
Craig Dillon founded video production company Westminster Digital in November 2017.<ref name="CompaniesHouse1" /> Nicknamed ''Digikids of Westminster'' by the British tabloids,<ref name=”telegraph1” /> the company specialised in the production of short Facebook promo-videos highlighting [[Tory]] MPs concerns about local issues.<ref name=”wired1” />

According to a 2021 investigation by the ''Daily Mirror'' up to fifty MPs paid the Digikids around £165,000 (including £4000 from policing minister Kit Malthouse for his hit podcast ''The Maltcast'')<ref name=”mirror1”>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/policing-minister-claimed-up-800-23755339 Policing minister claimed up to £800 a month on expenses to pay for his podcast] by Mikey Smith (March 18, 2021) ''Mirror''</ref> of UK tax payers money for their work around the 2019 Tory leadership competition and subsequent [[2019 United Kingdom general election]].<ref name=”mirror2”>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/tory-mps-spend-160k-taxpayers-24229197 Tory MPs spend £160k of taxpayers' cash getting Facebook videos made by same firm] by Mikey Smith (June 3, 2021) ''Mirror''</ref> Among the Digikids many clients at this time was the eventual winner of both those contests, [[Boris Johnson]], who Dillon advised to "keep quiet".<ref name="times21062019”>[https://archive.ph/rt0wJ#selection-999.326-999.391 Savvy online campaigns gave Johnson and Hunt critical edge in Tory leadership contest] by Mark Bridge (June 21, 2019) ''The Times'' (archived July 15, 2022)</ref> This apparently qualifies Dillon to be introduced as a former advisor to Johnson for all his subsequent political punditry.

In January 2020, Dillon became one of the first people in the UK to be tested for Covid-19, after dosing himself up and hanging around outside in a t-shirt, so the symptoms of an infection he says he knew could be the coronavirus, would not be detected by airport health checks and delay his return to London from Australia via China.<ref name=”telegraph24122020”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220717141414/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/24/like-contagion-briton-tested-coronavirus-reveals-surreal-hospital/ 'It was like being in Contagion': Briton tested for coronavirus reveals 'surreal' hospital quarantine] by Craig Dillon (January 12, 2020) ''The Telegraph'' (archived July 17, 2022)</ref> Sadly, his apparent ambition of being the next [[Typhoid Mary]] was thwarted when the results came back negative.

Despite moving to the US during the pandemic,<ref name=”blade1” /> Dillon went on to provide social media and video services for Penny Mordaunt's failed 2022 Tory leadership campaign but was, according to ''The Times'',<ref name=”times1”>[https://archive.ph/9bYZD Fox News pundit has fought digital war for Penny Mordaunt] by George Grylls and Chris Smyth (July 20, 2022) ''The Times'' (archived July 26, 2022)</ref> forced out following accusations of [[Astroturf|astroturfing]] and a distracting appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight under the pseudonym Thomas Corbett-Dillon.<ref name=”mail1”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220722092817/https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11026503/Tory-activist-working-Penny-Mordaunts-leadership-campaign-claimed-Boris-Johnson-woke.html Tory activist working on Penny Mordaunt's leadership campaign once claimed Boris Johnson had become too 'woke'] by John Stevens (July 18, 2022) ''Daily Mail'' (archived July 22, 2022)</ref> At this time Dillon's UK-based co-director resigned from the company.<ref name="CompaniesHouse1" />

==Incredible scenes on Tucker Carlson Tonight==
{{cquote| He so humiliated himself and, without offence to you, your country I think, that you almost feel like there was something else going on here. Why would he have been sucked in to the most conventional dumb kind of lifestyle liberalism when he's obviously a very smart guy?|||Tucker Carlson, Tucker Carlson Tonight, July 7, 2022<ref name=”fox1” />}}

{{cquote| So it's a shame because he had a lot of potential. We were very excited when he, er, you know he had everything, he even had the hair like Trump. But it just didn't come through in the end.|||Thomas Corbett-Dillon, Tucker Carlson Tonight, July 7, 2022<ref name=”fox1” />}}

In a star making turn on the July 7, 2022, Tucker Carlson Tonight episode, explaining to the [[Tucker Carlson|slack-jawed host]] the reasons for recently ousted British PM [[Boris Johnson]]'s resignation, Craig Dillon, appearing as Thomas Corbett-Dillon, managed to [[Code word|dog-whistle]] a whole slew of right-wing talking points, including [[One world government|globalism]], [[COVID-19 pandemic|anti-lockdown]], [[anti-vaxx]], [[climate change|climate change denial]], and, of course, [[Alt-right glossary#Woke|wokeness]], whilst carelessly failing to make any mention of either the [[Boris Johnson#Party's over?|Partygate]] or [[Boris Johnson#The end|Pincher]] scandals, which most lesser pundits had assumed responsible for the bumbling PM's final downfall. A performance described by BoingBoing's Rob Beschizza as being akin to "AI-generated gibberish trained on a corpus of downvoted reddit comments," and "so completely divorced from reality that maybe, just maybe, it will offer a 'zen stick' moment to someone, somewhere who hasn't realized this is how [[Fox News]] reports on everything."<ref name=”boingboing1”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240227190531/https://boingboing.net/2022/07/13/fox-news-uk-prime-minister-boris-johnson-resigned-because-he-was-a-woke-pro-europe-globalist.html Fox News: UK prime minister Boris Johnson resigned because he was a woke pro-Europe globalist] (July 13, 2022) by Rob Beschizza ''BoingBoing'' (archived from Feb 27, 2024)</ref>

Corbett-Dillon’s appearance was picked up by Beschizza and other media commentators after being shared to [[Twitter]] by parody account Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) as an example of how misleading [[Fox News]] could be. And prompted commentary and mockery in a number of quote tweets reproduced in ''[[The Independent]]''.<ref name=”independent1” />
*“My god. And I always wonder why British people get sucked into this nonsense. Yes people say all kinds of rubbish, but this level of [[Conspiracy theory|conspiratorial]] fantasy is so completely jarring with what’s acceptable on TV in the UK,” by ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman (@JamesAALongman)
*“Just going on telly to [[Bullshit|say a million made up things]],” by ''Liverpool Echo'' editor Liam Thorp (@LiamThorpECHO).
*“Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson simply fell into a vat of elites and became woke, so he had to go. Incredible scenes,” by Den of Geek editor Cardinal Copium (@emotionalpedant).
*“Reading through the quote tweets, I take it this level of [[fake news]] is not allowed in the UK… even though it’s the base of the [[Rupert Murdoch|Murdoch empire]]. Something to think about…” by film director Lexi Alexander.

Corbett-Dillon’s own Twitter account was, curiously, no longer visible by the time of ''The Independent'''s reporting.<ref name=”independent1” />

== A million made up things ==
Dillon continues to appear under the name Corbett-Dillon on Twitter and other right-wing news outlets putting forward bad takes on a variety of subjects.

=== Trumpety Trump. Trump! Trump! Trump! ===
Corbett-Dillon, who describes himself as a monarchist, believes that, "everyone's starting to come around and saying maybe monarchy is not too bad of a system," and that there's  only one who could fill the "golden shoes," stating: {{blockquote|I do believe that a monarchy is the best system, which is why I'm putting forward that we should have a king of America. And I think it's got to be Donald Trump.<ref>[https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/all-things-trump/former-boris-johnson-adviser-says-us-should-have-monarchy-trump Former Boris Johnson adviser says US should have a monarchy with Trump as king] by Charlotte Hazard (May 22, 2024) ''Just the News''</ref>}}

Appealing to his intended demographic, all of Corbett-Dillon's analysis is seemingly brought back to Donald Trump with the former president's fellow right-wing populists [[Boris Johnson]] and [[Giorgia Meloni]] refered to as being elected to be the British Trump<ref name=”fox1” /> and Italian Trump<ref name=”fox4”>[https://www.yahoo.com/news/melonis-shift-anti-globalist-pro-205719161.html Meloni's shift from anti-globalist to pro-Europe, Biden buddy infuriates base: 'Will not vote for her anymore'] by Peter Aitken (March 2, 2024) ''Fox News''</ref><ref name=”dailydot1”>[https://www.dailydot.com/debug/joe-biden-kissing-giorgia-meloni-fascism-debate/ Creepy or fascist?: Biden ignites debate after kissing Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni] by Mikael Thalen (March 5, 2024) ''Daily Dot''</ref> respectively, and criticised for, in his view, not having put their countries first.

=== A new world order ===
{{cquote|The people want something different to the globalists, so they are working behind the scenes to control the people.|||Thomas Corbett-Dillon, Fox News, Febuary 17, 2024<ref name=”fox2”>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230315010540/https://www.foxnews.com/media/former-adviser-boris-johnson-prime-minister-woke-conservative UK's Conservatives on track to lose next election, critics blast poor migration policy: 'People have given up'] by Peter Aitken (Febuary 17, 2024) ''Fox News'' (archived from Febuary 26, 2024)</ref>}}

Playing into [[World Economic Forum#WEF conspiracy theories|WEF conspiracy theories]], Corbett-Dillon blames the perceived failures of conservative political leaders such as Johnson<ref name=”fox1” /> and his Tory party successors in the UK,<ref name=”fox2” /> Meloni in Italy,<ref name=”fox4” /><ref name=”dailydot1” /> and Leo Varadkar in Ireland<ref name=”fox5”>[https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6349321035112 Ireland PM's resignation is 'just another kick in the globalists': Thomas Corbett-Dillon] (March 20, 2024) ''Fox News''</ref> on their abandoning of right-wing policy in order to jump into bed with the globalists.

=== White genocide ===
Stoking fears of [[white genocide]] and [[The Great Replacement]], Corbett-Dillon criticizes the Tory party in the UK,<ref name=”fox2” /> Meloni in Italy,<ref name=”fox4” /> and Varadkar in Ireland<ref name=”fox5” /> for failing to deal with what he refers to as an immigration crisis. "Europe is struggling," he told Fox News, and, "Flooding the continent with people who will take more out of the system than they put in will only make the European crisis worse." "The European appetite for accepting refugees is over," he continued, "particularly [[Muslims]] who have failed to assimilate into our culture."<ref name=”fox3”>[https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/world/world-un-signal-no-exit-for-civilians-caught-up-in-gaza-war-politically-toxic/ar-BB1jdpAA World, UN signal no exit for civilians caught up in Gaza war: 'Politically toxic'] by Ruth Marks Eglash (March 2, 2024) ''Fox News''</ref> 

He even produced his own version of [[Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white#.22The mantra.22|"the mantra"]] with a tweet reading:
{{Quotebox|Asia is for Asian People ✅ <br> Africa is for Black People ✅ <br> Europe is for White People 👮🏻‍♂️ <br> — Thomas Corbett-Dillon, March 2, 2024.<ref name=”Tweet2March2024”>[https://archive.ph/2ohJh#selection-497.0-494.6 Asia is for Asian People ✅ Africa is for Black People ✅ Europe is for White People 👮🏻‍♂️] by Thomas Corbett-Dillon (March 13, 2024) ''Twitter'' (archived from March 14, 2024)</ref>}}

He has also criticised the dispatching of Royal Navy to save the lives of immigrants who run into trouble crossing the English Channel.<ref name=”fox2” />

=== Transphobia ===
Tapping into [[transphobia]], because that's popular, right?, Corbett-Dillon misgendered Dylan Mulvaney in a March 13, 2024 tweet, in which he called for her to be banned from society and committed to a mental asylum.<ref name=”Tweet13March2024”>[https://archive.ph/cY86W#selection-461.0-458.2 Since we’re banning things today, let’s ban him from society. Off to the mental asylum! 👋🏻] by Thomas Corbett-Dillon (March 13, 2024) ''Twitter'' (archived from March 14, 2024)</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett-Dillon, Thomas}}

[[Category:Crank magnetism]]
[[Category:Denialists]]
[[Category:Far-right politics]]
[[Category:Great Replacement conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Islamophobes]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Political pundits]]
[[Category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:Transphobes]]

Categories: Crank magnetism, Denialists, Far-right politics, Great Replacement conspiracy theorists, Islamophobes, Living people, Political pundits, Right-wing activists, Transphobes