Miles Routledge

Contents

Miles Routledge, or Lord Miles on social media, is an English far-right YouTuber and war tourist. He gained notoriety for being evacuated during the 2021 Fall of Kabul after travelling Afghanistan to engage in danger tourism.

Early life

Routledge worked part-time as a hairdresser as a teenager.[1] He studied physics at Loughborough University.[2]

2021 trip to Afghanistan

In March 2021, he began planning a trip to Afghanistan.[3]

On 13 August 2021 Routledge arrived in Kabul from Turkey,[4][5] with a return flight scheduled for 19 August.[6] Due to the ongoing Taliban offensive the FCDO had advised against all travel to the whole country, and urged British nationals in Afghanistan to leave immediately.[7] On 15 August he told The Times that he had "accepted death".[8]

The Taliban claimed victory in Afghanistan on the 16 August.[9] On the same day, a spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said that they were "aware of [Routledge's] case" and were "attempting to reach the individual to offer assistance".[3] On 17 August Routledge was evacuated to Dubai.[10]

In November 2021 Routledge signed a publishing contract with Antelope Hill Publishing to recount his experience during the fall of Afghanistan.[11] His book Lord Miles In Afghanistan was released December 2022.[12]

2023 imprisonment by the Taliban

Routledge departed for a third holiday to Afghanistan in late February 2023, and was apprehended by the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence on 2 March 2023.[13] The GDI also apprehended a volunteer medic named Kevin Cornwell and an unidentified hotel manager, both British citizens.[14] Routledge was released from Taliban custody in October 2023.[15]

Political views

Routledge has made a number of comments on the social media platform X targeting Indians that have been considered racist, and has also joked about nuking India.[16][17] After his AirPods were stolen and found in Pakistan, Routledge blamed Indians for stealing them, accusing them of being thieves and insulting them as 'cow worshippers'.[18]

Restore Britain

Routledge is a known supporter of the far-right political party Restore Britain and was noted in April 2026 for having called another Restore supporter a "liberal" for wanting to deport millions of people from the UK, saying: "I have better solutions." When asked about the comments in relation to a post from the previous year calling for another "Hitler", Routledge replied in the affirmative, also declaring his belief that journalists should be imprisoned.[19]

Routledge gave Restore £2500 to become a member of its Cromwell Club, a group designed “to support the movement’s work [by] funding research, outreach, and strategic campaigns". The party told The Telegraph that they had refunded the amount amid publication of Routledge's comments praising Adolf Hitler and other antisemitic conspiracy theories.[20]

References

  1. 1.Routledge, Miles [@real_lord_miles] (15 February 2022). "After working part time in a hairdresser since I was 14 until I was 20, I possess the weird skill of sending people to sleep with head massages at a backwash" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. 2.de Ferrer, Merthe (16 August 2021). "Meet the 22-year-old British student stuck in Afghanistan: 'I've bitten off more than I can chew'". Euronews. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  3. 3.[3.2]Hardy, Jack (16 August 2021). "British student stuck in Kabul after 'danger tourism' stunt backfires". The Telegraph.
  4. 4.Edwards, Jonathan (16 August 2021). "'No regrets,' says a student stranded in Kabul after planning a trip to the "10 Most Dangerous Countries."". The Washington Newsday. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  5. 5."Tourist stranded in Kabul says he has 'no regrets' in Afghanistan collapse". NZ Herald. 2 November 2023.
  6. 6.Cole, Samantha (16 August 2021). "British College Student 'Lord Miles' Claims He's Stuck in Afghanistan". Vice.
  7. 7."Foreign travel advice: Afghanistan". Government of the United Kingdom. 6 August 2021. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  8. 8.Ball, Tom (15 August 2021). "British student on holiday in Afghanistan 'accepts death'". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. 9."Afghanistan conflict: Kabul falls to Taliban as president flees". BBC News. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
  10. 10."UK student who travelled to Afghanistan for holiday evacuated". BBC News. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  11. 11.@AntelopeHill (15 November 2021). "We have signed a book deal with @LordVesconte, who was in Kabul during the fall of Afghanistan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. 12.Gault, Matthew (3 April 2023). "Lord Miles Flees Taliban, Publishes Memoir at White Nationalist Press, Gets Captured by Taliban". Vice.
  13. 13.Wallen, Joe; Sabur, Rozina (1 April 2023). "British self-styled 'danger tourist' captured by Taliban secret police". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  14. 14."Two of three British men being held by Taliban allowed call to families". BBC. 2 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023.
  15. 15.Crew, Jemma (11 October 2023). "Four British men freed after Afghanistan detention". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  16. 16."Controversial British YouTuber hates on Indians; claims they can't speak English, lie in interviews". The Times of India. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  17. 17.Bhattacharya, Devika (23 August 2024). "Nuke India: British YouTuber Miles Routledge's racist posts stoke row". India Today. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  18. 18.Kumar, Gaurav (1 July 2025). "Cow-worshipping Indians to blame: UK vlogger after finding stolen AirPods in Pak". India Today. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  19. 19.Walker, Peter (19 April 2026). "Two more Reform local election candidates accused of offensive posts". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  20. 20.Holl-Allen, Genevieve (15 August 2026). "Restore donor said he hoped there would be 'another Hitler'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2026.