Speaking from the podium outside the door of Number 10 at 5.30pm, the Prime Minister said there has been a “shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality” and added that “now our democracy itself is a target”. Sky News has more.
He also described the Rochdale by-election result on Thursday night as “beyond alarming”, and claimed “our streets have been hijacked by small groups who are hostile to our values”.
His speech came after the victory of maverick politician George Galloway in the Greater Manchester seat, following a campaign dominated by the highly-emotive issue of Gaza and dogged by accusations of abuse and intimidation.
With community tensions in the U.K. heightened against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict, MPs have also spoken of their experiences of receiving death threats and their concerns for the safety of their families after the government announced an extra £31 million to protect elected representatives.
The new security package will enhance police protection and help fund private security guards for those facing a higher risk.
In addition, it will ensure all elected politicians and candidates have a dedicated named police contact to liaise with on security matters.
At the same time, Mr. Sunak warned the U.K. was descending into “mob rule” as he told police they must use the powers they have or risk losing public confidence in the face of ongoing pro-Palestinian protests.
It followed chaotic scenes in Westminster last week over the vote on a ceasefire in Gaza.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle broke with precedent in his handling of the proceedings because he had concerns about the intimidation suffered by some parliamentarians and wanted to give MPs the widest possible range of options for the vote.
But the backlash to his actions, which spared Sir Keir Starmer from the prospect of a damaging revolt by MPs demanding a ceasefire, has left his own position in jeopardy, with dozens of MPs backing a motion of no confidence.
While the focus of the PM’s remarks were clearly Islamic extremists and the pro-Palestinian protestors rampaging through our city centres every Saturday, he struggled to be even-handed, condemning both Islamists and the “far Right“, saying they “feed off each other”.
The Mail has more coverage here.
Stop Press: Sam Melia, a far Right activist, has been sentenced to two years following his conviction for inciting racial hatred and conspiring to commit criminal damage. GB News has the story. I gave the following quote to the reporter, Charlie Peters:
Sam Melia’s conviction points to the shortcomings of the ‘stirring up’ clauses in the Public Order Act.
Why is he guilty of ‘stirring up’ racial or religious hatred, but not George Galloway, some of whose comments about Israel and Zionism have been equally incendiary? Yet Galloway is now the MP for Rochdale, while Melia has gone to prison for two years.
Either the law is applied consistently, without fear or favour, or it’s not fit for purpose.
It cannot be one law for right-wing white working class men and another for left-wing politicians.
For some examples of the incendiary things George Galloway has said, see this tweet by the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
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