The case of a mother jailed for a social media post about the Southport attacks has been raised with the White House.

Lucy Connolly, a former childminder and the wife of a Conservative councillor, was jailed for 31 months in October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred.

Three Court of Appeal judges threw out the 42-year-old’s application on Tuesday morning, meaning she will not be released before August.

In an extraordinary step, her arrest has now been raised with Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, The Telegraph understands.

It is the latest case to be raised with officials in Washington, who are increasingly concerned about freedom of expression in Britain.