Summary of the day so far
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Keir Starmer returned to Southport on Friday, visiting the town for the second time this week after Monday’s knife attack. The prime minister met members of the local community, according to the Liverpool Echo, along with metro mayor Steve Rotheram, Merseyside chief constable Serena Kennedy and representatives from the police, faith groups, health services and the education and voluntary sectors. He also paid a visit to Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, where many of the victims of Monday’s attack were treated. Starmer thanked staff for their hard work and professionalism in responding to the attack.
There is potential for more violence in the wake of the Southport attack, a Home Office minister has said, as he warned those planning on organising further disorder “we will be watching you”. Asked how concerned the government is about the prospect of further disorder on the streets this weekend, David Hanson told LBC Radio: “There is that potential. But I always say to anybody who’s organising this, we will be watching you.”
John Woodcock, the UK government’s adviser on political violence and disruption, said police should be prepared to step in if it appears troublemakers were travelling to incite riots. Woodcock, who is a crossbench peer, said disinformation contributed to the unrest which broke out in a number of locations around England after the Southport attack. Asked about the best way to prevent the riots, he said protests were sometimes being used as a cover for “violent action”. He said: “People absolutely have the right to protest in this country, but they do not have the right to riot.”
The Guardian has seen details of at least 19 far-right rallies being planned for the coming days in towns and cities across England. Many of the events are taking place under the banner “enough is enough” and “protect our kids” – the same slogan used by demonstrators outside Downing Street on Wednesday evening.
Zara Mohammed, the secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), has said hundreds of mosques across the country will be strengthening their security and protective measures this weekend. Mohammed said on Friday: “Yesterday we hosted a mosque security community briefing and we had representation from hundreds of mosques across the country and there was palpable fear.”
The campaign group, Stand Up to Racism warned that far-right demonstrations are being organised for this coming weekend in more than 25 towns and cities. It adds that “some of these [demonstrations] are specifically targeting mosques”.
Nine counter-demonstrations are due to take place this weekend, said Stand Up to Racism. On Saturday, there will be counter-demonstrations in Liverpool, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent, it said. On Sunday, counter-demonstrations are scheduled for Rotherham and Weymouth.
Nottinghamshire police said it was aware of “two protests that may be taking place in Nottingham city centre this Saturday”, and that there would be a “robust police response” to any disorder.
South Yorkshire police said it was “aware of a planned protest in Rotherham this weekend” and that there may be “an increased police presence across the county”.
Thames Valley police said it is aware of a “potential planned protest this weekend in High Wycombe” and that officers would “swiftly respond” if it escalates into violent disorder.
Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotheram said he was “concerned” that there could be a “repeat of violence somewhere in the Liverpool city region”, but added: “We know exactly what we’d need to do to ensure that these things are nipped in the bud.” Rotheram also told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that Nigel Farage was giving “legitimacy” to violent rioters and “excusing them”.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it is aware of calls “to block roads using women and children” and for a march to an Islamic centre in Belfast to be held on Saturday.
Merseyside police has made seven arrests related to the violent disorder in Southport on Tuesday evening, with further arrests to be made over the coming weeks, the force has said.
Former head of counter-terrorism policing Neil Basu said Farage “should think very carefully” about “the power of his words”. Asked about comments made by the Reform UK leader, Basu told ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday: “That is a far-right politician once again trying to direct policing and law and order. He doesn’t speak for tens of millions of people, the prime minister does – who has to serve the whole population, not just the ones he likes.” Basu warned that police forces could be facing a “long, hot summer”.
The culture secretary said her concern is that “warning signs” are spotted in the future, after former BBC presenter Huw Edwards admitted having indecent images of children. Lisa Nandy asked the BBC to look into whether it can recoup money from Huw Edwards’ pay packet, during a meeting with director general Tim Davie on Thursday. Nandy also appeared to suggest that some of findings of an internal investigation into Edwards should be made public.
Rachel Reeves has been urged to reverse her “ill-advised” decision to strip most pensioners of their winter fuel payments, or risk millions of people being forced to choose between turning on the heating or preparing a hot meal. Jan Shortt, the general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), one of the UK’s biggest campaigning organisation for older people, has written to the chancellor, noting many older people may “not survive to see the spring or any other season” after the payments are cut.
Meghan Gallacher, the deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has become the first woman to put herself forward to replace Douglas Ross as leader of the party. Gallacher – considered a rising star of the party – said that Scottish Tories needed “an open leadership contest, debating ideas and the future direction of our party”, the day after the timetable for the contest was announced.
The governor of the Bank of England has dismissed concerns raised by the Conservatives that the new government’s plans for public sector pay rises would risk stoking inflation and keep interest rates higher for longer. The Bank’s governor, Andrew Bailey, told journalists after the rate announcement that the planned pay awards of 5-6% would have a relatively small impact on headline inflation, and suggested it was not a focus for the Bank.
The Labour government must “change course” on its approach to social care, dozens of sector leaders have said, as they described how announcements this week on funding and charging reforms had been a “bitter pill” to swallow. A letter on behalf of the leaders of 30 organisations in the sector, including Care England, the National Care Forum, Learning Disability England and the Homecare Association, has been sent to health secretary Wes Streeting.
The boss of Royal London, the UK’s biggest insurance group owned by its members, has expressed caution about Labour’s ambition to use pensions to drive economic growth, as he warned of a “ticking timebomb” and urged the government to make greater saving for retirement a priority. The new chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is launching a landmark pensions review, and pledged a “big bang” for private pension funds, as the government wants to unlock billions of pounds to invest in UK infrastructure and housing.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has said she will be speaking with sporting bodies about “inclusion, fairness and safety” after what she described as an “incredibly uncomfortable watch” when asked about the Olympic boxing controversy. But Nandy said the “biological facts are far more complicated than is being presented on social media” as she spoke about Italian fighter Angela Carini having abandoned her bout against Algeria’s Imane Khelif this week.
Kemi Badenoch has brought in a Conservative councillor to help on her leadership bid who referred to a female politician in a vulgar manner in a message to another colleague. Badenoch has Tory councillor Oliver Cooper on her team despite it having emerged in legal action that he had sent messages in 2017 about a female councillor to another activist calling her offensive names.
The new Labour government has shelved £1.3bn of funding pledged by the Conservatives for technology and artificial intelligence projects, putting the future of the UK’s first next-generation supercomputer in doubt. The projects, announced last year, include £800m for the creation of an exascale supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh and a further £500m for the AI Research Resource, which funds computing power for AI.
The Home Office threatened to forcibly remove a man from the UK who is likely to be a key witness in the inquest of the asylum seeker who died on the Bibby Stockholm barge. Yusuf Deen Kargbo, 20, a boxer who competed for Sierra Leone in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham before claiming asylum, was Leonard Farruku’s roommate on the barge and almost certainly the last person to have seen him alive.
Speaking at the launch of his Conservative leadership campaign, Robert Jenrick said his position on the European convention on human rights (ECHR) was “crystal clear” when asked by journalists whether he would be prepared to leave the ECHR. Jenrick has previously argued for the UK to leave the convention. The main reason the Conservatives lost the election was continuing a “cycle of broken promises” on immigration, he said at the event in Newark, Nottinghamshire, adding that he wants “to breathe new life into our party”.
After Jenrick’s campaign launch, the Liberal Democrats said that the Tory leadership hopeful had a “terrible record of failure” and symbolises how his party has “moved further and further away from lifelong Conservative voters”. Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Jenrick is now a symbol of the way the Conservative party has moved further and further away from lifelong Conservative voters in the ‘blue wall’.”
Scottish ministers are being urged to learn lessons from Wales’s introduction of a “lifesaving” default 20mph speed limit. Green transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell made the plea after figures from Wales showed a drop in casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads in the first three months of 2024, after the lower default speed limit was introduced.
Updated
Pensioner body calls on Reeves to reverse cut to winter fuel allowance
Rachel Reeves has been urged to reverse her “ill-advised” decision to strip most pensioners of their winter fuel payments, or risk millions of people being forced to choose between turning on the heating or preparing a hot meal.
The chancellor has faced fury from backbenchers, who have questioned how many older people will die of cold as a result of denying about 10 million pensioners the payments.
Jan Shortt, the general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), one of the UK’s biggest campaigning organisation for older people, has written to the chancellor, noting many older people may “not survive to see the spring or any other season” after the payments are cut.
Reeves said she was making “difficult decisions” after she accused the Conservative government of leaving behind £22bn of unfunded commitments that it had “covered up from the country”.
Introducing a means test for the winter fuel payment, where only those on benefits qualify, is expected to cut the number of pensioners receiving the payment from 11.4 million to 1.5 million, saving £1.4bn this financial year.
Shortt said in her letter to the chancellor:
Our members are angered and concerned about your plan to remove the winter fuel payment from older people who do not receive pension credit.
There are already 2 million older people in poverty across the UK. For them, this means living in damp, cold homes, washing in cold water and not using the cooker, all to save money. At least a further 1 million older people live with precarious finances and face growing financial insecurity.”
You can read the full piece here:
Robert Jenrick has a “terrible record of failure” and symbolises how his party has “moved further and further away from lifelong Conservative voters”, the Liberal Democrats have said.
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said:
As a minister, Robert Jenrick oversaw a housing crisis and failed to address immigration, he has a terrible record tainted by failure.
Only in today’s Conservative party could someone with such a terrible record of failure think they could lead it.
Jenrick is now a symbol of the way the Conservative party has moved further and further away from lifelong Conservative voters in the ‘blue wall’.
People right across the country are instead putting their faith in the Liberal Democrats to get a fair deal for them.”
Social care sector tells health secretary that recent announcements are a 'bitter pill'
The Labour government must “change course” on its approach to social care, dozens of sector leaders have said, as they described how announcements this week on funding and charging reforms had been a “bitter pill” to swallow, reports the PA news agency.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves used a wider speech on public finances on Monday to state that previously delayed adult social care charging reforms will not be taken forward. This was followed by a written statement from care minister Stephen Kinnock late on Tuesday just as parliament entered summer recess, in which he said the government had decided not to go ahead with a fund dedicated to training the social care workforce.
A letter on behalf of the leaders of 30 organisations in the sector, including Care England, the National Care Forum, Learning Disability England and the Homecare Association, has been sent to health secretary Wes Streeting.
It said:
The last few days have raised alarm bells for those working in adult social care and those drawing on care and support services.
Warm words about the economic importance of adult social care and the commitment to identify a cross-party solution to this fundamental public service have rung hollow in light of decisions announced around funding and reform.”
According to the PA news agency, the letter described how “choosing not to progress both charging reform and the training and development fund is a bitter pill for social care in a climate where other public services and their workforces are finally having their contribution recognised”.
The groups called for “positive action on social care”, adding that there is “time, political capital, and the expertise of a united social care sector to make this happen”.
They added:
We urge the government to change course and we stand ready to help you transform social care for the millions who work in it and most vitally, rely upon it.”
The PA news agency reports that just a day after that announcement, Kinnock said the adult social care training and development fund, which was announced in provisional form by the previous government in April, will not be taken forward due to the need to “manage down overall fiscal pressures in 2024-25”.
The minister said the government still intends to provide funding for adult social care “learning and development, with the budget maintained at the level we spent last year”.
The decision was described as “desperately shortsighted” by the Nuffield Trust, which said it “looks like yet another troubling decision to deprioritise social care in order to plug gaps in health funding”.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment by the PA news agency.
Keir Starmer returns to Southport for second visit this week
Keir Starmer returned to Southport on Friday, visiting the town for the second time this week after Monday’s knife attack.
The prime minister met members of the local community, according to the Liverpool Echo, along with metro mayor Steve Rotheram, Merseyside chief constable Serena Kennedy and representatives from the police, faith groups, health services and the education and voluntary sectors.
He also paid a visit to Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, where many of the victims of Monday’s attack were treated. Starmer thanked staff for their hard work and professionalism in responding to the attack.
Robert Jenrick said his position on the European convention on human rights (ECHR) was “crystal clear” when asked by journalists whether he would be prepared to leave the ECHR. Jenrick has previously argued for the UK to leave the convention.
Giving his response to the attack in Southport and the riots in its aftermath, Jenrick said:
On Southport let me say this. I am a father of three young daughters and this was the most horrific crime.”
He added:
I think that there is an important lesson from this, which is in this incident and in others across the country, they are revealing that there is too much disrespect for our police and for law and order.
I want to back the police, I want to ensure that they can take the robust action they need against these individuals and against people like them in all of the incidents we have seen in recent months, right across the country.
Because I do not want to live in a country where incidents like this, where disturbances are happening, ever again.”
Jenrick refused to be drawn into whether Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson would be welcome in a Tory party under his leadership.
Asked if the two Reform UK MPs and Suella Braverman would “feel comfortable” in a Conservative party he led, Jenrick said:
It will definitely be a party in which my good friend Suella Braverman is comfortable. I want to build a big church, a big tent for this party. But it has to be a strong tent. I want to ensure that we are a big church, that it has a common creed.
So we have to believe in Conservative principles again. I never want to be going on to a doorstep in a general election in the future and people not know what our party stands for.
That is the essence of my campaign. If a member in this room would put on a blue rosette under my leadership they would know what it stood for, and they would have pride in wearing it.”
Robert Jenrick took aim at the new government at his campaign launch, saying that Labour were guilty of “too many delusions”. He added:
If anyone tells you the grown-ups are in charge, just look at Ed Miliband.”
The party has “lied about the state of our public finances” and already “begun to break their promises” by hinting at tax rises in the budget, Jenrick claimed.
The Tory leadership hopeful told the audience at his campaign launch:
I am not going to lie to you, for most of my time as a politician I believed our political system basically worked. I was elected 10 years ago in a byelection here in Newark, I was honoured to be a member of the government of each of the last five Conservative prime ministers. I prided myself on making the system work, on getting things done for my constituents and our country.”
While he pointed to his record as housing secretary on housebuilding and reducing homelessness, Jenrick added: “In the last two years, I have come to see that a different approach is needed.”
Jenrick insisted that the Conservatives could win the next general election. He told supporters:
Our victory here in Newark a few weeks ago tells us a lesson. Each of those MRP polls that said we were going to lose, all the pundits and the commentators who said it was impossible to win here, they were wrong. They got it wrong, we won.
And those same pundits, those same pollsters and talking heads down in Westminster, they now say that our party cannot win again. They say that our problems are too intractable, they say we’re too divided, they say that Keir Starmer is destined to be our nation’s prime minister for a decade or more.
Well if there’s one lesson of our success here in Newark, it’s this. Nothing in politics is certain. Just as there are no final victories, there are no final defeats.”
He added:
Enough of defeatism. We can win.”
Updated
A 28-year-old man who took part in violent disorder in Hartlepool sobbed in court as he and his partner admitted criminal charges on Friday.
Ryan Sheers was in tears when he appeared before a district judge at Teesside magistrates court in Middlesbrough.
Sheers and his partner Stephen Mailen, 54, both Hartlepool, admitted violent disorder.
Paul Doney, prosecuting, said Mailen was “constantly in the face of officers” and was gesticulating towards them, shouting, until he was struck on the leg by an officer’s extendable baton.
His partner, Sheers, was trying to push through the police cordon, shouting and refusing to move away. He was bitten on the hip by a police dog, the court heard.
They were granted conditional bail and will be sentenced at Teesside crown court on 2 September.
At the same court three men entered no plea to charges and were remanded in custody until 2 September.
Anthony Allen, 42, of Hartlepool, was charged with violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker. James Elliott, 41, of Hartlepool, was charged with violent disorder. Peter Clark, 47, of no fixed address, was charged with violent disorder and exposure after allegedly showing his buttocks and genitalia to police.
John Barton, 33, of Hartlepool, and Dylan Wiley, 28, of Hartlepool, denied violent disorder and were remanded in custody until 2 September.
Doney told the court that 200 people were in a group which initially met at the Cenotaph in Hartlepool on Wednesday evening and moved towards mosques and a community centre.
Police tried to keep order and came under attack from bricks, eggs and other weapons.
Disorder lasted for several hours and a police car was torched, he said.
The main reason the Conservatives lost the election was continuing a “cycle of broken promises” on immigration, Robert Jenrick has said.
Promising to tell Tory members “hard truths” during the leadership campaign, Jenrick said there were “many reasons” for the party’s defeat in July.
He said:
But the principal one, the primary one, is that we broke our promise to the British public to deliver controlled and reduced migration and the secure border that the public rightfully demand. We allowed the cycle of broken promises to continue.
And as a minister, when I concluded that I couldn’t secure any more changes to our legal migration system, I resigned from cabinet last year because I for one was not willing to be just another minister who makes and breaks promises on immigration.”
'I want to breathe new life into our party,' says Robert Jenrick as he launches his Tory leadership campaign
Conservative former minister Esther McVey introduced Robert Jenrick on Friday as he launched his bid to be the next Tory leader.
McVey, Conservative MP for Tatton, told the audience at Jenrick’s launch event that the party needed to “get it right” on their choice of leader, and accused the Labour party of having upset the public with their plan to charge VAT on private school fees, on means testing the winter fuel allowance, and in other areas since coming to office.
She told the audience the next Tory leader needed “intellectual rigour and capability”, adding: “Robert has got that.”
According to the PA news agency, Jenrick kicked off his speech by praising members of his Newark constituency as “doers” and “makers” who are “proud of our history, they would never denigrate our country.”
Despite the Tory rout at the general election, Jenrick said:
We defeated Labour, we squeezed Reform, we defied the polls and we won here in Newark.”
He said:
I want to breathe new life into our party with a new spirit in which we respect the membership of this party.”
Part of how the Tories should do this is by ensuring members can choose candidates for elections again, he said. “I want to grow this party. I want to become a mass membership organisation once again,” Jenrick added.
The BBC needs to reassure people after Huw Edwards scandal, says culture secretary
The culture secretary says her concern is that “warning signs” are spotted in the future, after former BBC presenter Huw Edwards admitted having indecent images of children.
Lisa Nandy asked the BBC to look into whether it can recoup money from Huw Edwards’ pay packet, during a meeting with director general Tim Davie on Thursday.
Edwards admitted making indecent photographs, with seven of the 41 images being of the most serious type, earlier in the week, and the BBC acknowledged it knew he was arrested in November.
When asked about her meeting with Davie, Nandy told BBC News:
We had a very robust and frank discussion about the circumstances around the case, and some of the decisions that have been made during that case and also since.
Obviously, I am particularly concerned to make sure that people have confidence in the BBC.
I think the director general made a good start yesterday, in going out to be as open and transparent as possible with the public, both about what the BBC knew but also about why they made the decision they did, and also the use of taxpayers’ money, which is obviously important to a lot of people.”
According to the PA news agency, Nandy also appeared to suggest that some of findings of an internal investigation into Edwards should be made public.
She said:
I think we all recognise there is a job of work to do, to get more information in the public domain, to reassure people, not just about the decisions that have been made but also about the action that the BBC will take going forwards.
My concern is to make sure warning signs are caught, complaints are acted on, that public money is used well, and to make sure as far as is humanly possible that we don’t have a repeat of this situation in the future.”
The Labour MP for Wigan also explained to Sky News that she has “ongoing concerns”, that the BBC needs “futureproofing”, so that whistleblowers are taken seriously and complaints are acted upon.
She added:
There are outstanding issues that the BBC director general has agreed to take away with his board, and come back to me on, and I’ll look forward to continuing those discussions next week.”
Nandy also said that she has asked to see the employment law advice given to the BBC.
She added that Edwards should return his salary, which is estimated to be more than £400,000 last year.
Nandy said that she was “very concerned” that taxpayers money was being used to pay Edwards’ salary, when the newsreader was committing “serious crimes”. She added: “I’ve asked the BBC to look at what’s possible.”
Updated
Scottish ministers are being urged to learn lessons from Wales’s introduction of a “lifesaving” default 20mph speed limit, reports the PA news agency.
Green transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell made the plea after figures from Wales showed a drop in casualties on 20mph and 30mph roads in the first three months of 2024, after the lower default speed limit was introduced.
According to the PA news agency, the number of cases of people being killed or seriously injured on roads with either a 20mph limit or a 30mph limit fell to 78 in the first three months of 2024 – a drop of 23% on the total of 101 that was recorded in the first three months of last year.
With Wales’s default limit applying mainly in residential and built-up areas, Ruskell said:
Lower speeds save lives. There are people who are alive and well today thanks to Wales’s default 20mph limit.”
The Green MSP had previously tried to introduce legislation for Scotland to reduce the default 30mph speed limit to 20mph – but this was voted down by Holyrood in 2019.
The then-transport secretary Michael Matheson said while the Scottish government backed efforts to make roads safer, councils were “best placed” to use their local knowledge to decide where 20mph limits should be brought in.
But following the reduction in road casualties in Wales, Ruskell urged the government in Scotland to act. He said:
We need to learn from their experience and replicate its success across Scotland. Fundamentally it’s about safety and making our neighbourhoods more welcoming and accessible for all.”
The Bute House Agreement between the Scottish Greens and the SNP included a commitment for all appropriate roads in built-up areas to have a 20mph limit by 2025 – and Ruskell urged the Scottish government not to backtrack on that commitment despite the collapse earlier this year of the powersharing deal.
He said:
We have already made really important progress across parts of the country, with life-saving 20mph defaults becoming more and more common, and it’s crucial that the Scottish government supports councils to finish the job as soon as possible.
We all benefit from safer streets, and a default 20mph speed limit in built-up areas is a simple, quick and proven way to reduce road casualties.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said:
The Scottish government remains supportive of 20mph limits and continues to work with local authorities to promote their implementation on adjoining trunk roads where it is appropriate to do so.”
Home Office threatened to deport man likely to be key witness in Bibby Stockholm inquest
The Home Office threatened to forcibly remove a man from the UK who is likely to be a key witness in the inquest of the asylum seeker who died on the Bibby Stockholm barge.
Leonard Farruku, 26, an asylum seeker from Albania, was found dead on the Bibby Stockholm in Portland, Dorset, used by the Home Office to accommodate hundreds of asylum seekers, on 12 December last year. An inquest is scheduled to open into his death in September 2025.
Yusuf Deen Kargbo, 20, a boxer who competed for Sierra Leone in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham before claiming asylum, was Farruku’s roommate on the barge and almost certainly the last person to have seen him alive.
It was Kargbo who raised the alarm when he woke early on the morning of 12 September, found Farruku was not in his bed in the bunk they shared and that the door of the bathroom was locked with no response when Kargbo repeatedly knocked on the door. Police forced open the bathroom door and discovered Farruku’s body.
After Farruku’s death, Kargbo was moved to Home Office accommodation in Wales but said he was woken up there at 6am two and a half weeks ago, arrested and taken to Harmondsworth immigration removal centre, near Heathrow, because the Home Office had rejected his asylum claim.
You can read the full piece here:
Updated
Less than three hours after the stabbing attack on Monday that led to the death of three children, an AI-generated image was shared on X by an account called Europe Invasion. It depicted bearded men in traditional Muslim dress outside the Houses of Parliament, one waving a knife, behind a crying child in a union jack T-shirt.
The tweet, which has since been viewed 900,000 times, was captioned: “We must protect our children!” and shared by one of the most potent accounts for misinformation about the Southport stabbings.
AI technology has been used in other ways, including an anti-immigration Facebook group that illustrated a call to attend a rally in Middlesbrough by generating an image of a large crowd at the town’s cenotaph.
Platforms like Suno – which employs AI to generate music complete with vocals and instruments – have been used to create online songs combining references to Southport with xenophobic content. Titles include “Southport Saga” featuring an AI female voice singing lyrics such as “hunt them down somehow”.
Experts have warned that new tools and ways of organising have seen Britain’s fractured far right exploit the Southport attack to unify and rejuvenate its presence on the streets.
In a surge of activity not seen for years, more than 10 protests are being promoted across social media platforms such as X, TikTok and Facebook in the aftermath of violent disorder up and down the country.
Death threats against the UK prime minister, incitement to attack government property and extreme antisemitism were also among the comments on the Telegram channel of one extreme-right outfit this week.
You can read the full news feature by Ben Quinn and Dan Milmo here:
Nottinghamshire police said it was aware of “two protests that may be taking place in Nottingham city centre this Saturday”, and that there would be a “robust police response” to any disorder.
In a statement, the force said:
We are aware of two protests that may be taking place in Nottingham city centre this Saturday (3 August) following the tragic events in Southport.
The public can expect to see an increased high-visibility police presence in Old Market Square, on our transport routes, and within our communities throughout the weekend.
Anyone who has any concerns then please do speak to our officers who will be very happy to help.
Anyone who comes into the city or our neighbourhoods to cause any kind of disorder can expect a robust police response. It simply will not be tolerated.”
GPs in England are to stage industrial action for the first time in 60 years amid a row over funding. NHS England has warned the action could cause significant disruption beyond just primary care.
How did they get here and what will the impact be on patients and the NHS? The Guardian’s health editor, Andrew Gregory, answers the key questions in this explainer:
Paul Doney, prosecuting, told Teesside magistrates court that 200 people were in a group which met at the Cenotaph in Hartlepool on Wednesday evening, the PA news agency reported.
The group moved towards mosques and a community centre. Downey said disorder lasted for several hours and a police car was torched.
The district judge, Helen Cousins, refused bail for two of the accused.
Updated
Meghan Gallacher, the deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has become the first woman to put herself forward to replace Douglas Ross as leader of the party.
Gallacher – considered a rising star of the party – said that Scottish Tories needed “an open leadership contest, debating ideas and the future direction of our party”, the day after the timetable for the contest was announced, with nominations closing on 22 August and the winner announced on 27 September, over a month before the UK party’s leadership contest concludes.
Two other candidates – current justice spokesperson and former journalist Russell Findlay and Brian Whittle, MSP and former Olympic sprinter – have already put themselves forward, but Gallacher’s declaration was immediately warmly welcomed by two other senior figures who had been thought to be considering standing themselves, veteran MSP Murdo Fraser and Jamie Greene, another highly regarded political performer who was relegated to the backbenches by Ross.
Updated
Thames Valley police said it is aware of a “potential planned protest this weekend in High Wycombe” and that officers would “swiftly respond” if it escalates into violent disorder, the PA news agency reported.
A spokesperson for the force said:
Should this planned peaceful protest escalate into violent disorder seen elsewhere in the country, officers will swiftly respond and deal with those choosing to cause harm to our communities.
We have a plan in place for this weekend to deal with any issues that may arise.”
Updated
At least 19 far-right rallies being planned across England, Guardian understands
The Guardian has seen details of at least 19 far-right rallies being planned for the coming days in towns and cities across England. Many of the events are taking place under the banner “enough is enough” and “protect our kids” – the same slogan used by demonstrators outside Downing Street on Wednesday evening. More than 110 people were arrested after protesters clashed with police.
Counter-demonstrations are due to take place in Manchester and Liverpool amid fears that anti-immigration groups are feeling emboldened by the unrest inspired by the Southport murders.
One online group said its membership had “absolutely rocketed in the past few days”. Tell Mama, an organisation that tracks Islamophobia, called for greater police protection for mosques.
Updated
Bank of England dismisses Tory claims public sector pay rises will stoke inflation
The governor of the Bank of England has dismissed concerns raised by the Conservatives that the new government’s plans for public sector pay rises would risk stoking inflation and keep interest rates higher for longer.
After the Bank cut the cost of borrowing for the first time since March 2020, senior Tories including Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt said above-inflation salary increases for teachers, nurses and other public sector workers could delay further rate reductions.
Seizing on the Bank’s decision as evidence that Labour had “inherited a strong economy” from the previous government, the former prime minister wrote on X: “My concern now is that Labour’s inflation-busting public sector pay rises have put further cuts at risk.”
The @bankofengland has cut interest rates for the first time since 2020.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 1, 2024
That's good news for homeowners and shows Labour inherited a strong economy.
My concern now is that Labour's inflation-busting public sector pay rises have put further cuts at risk.
However, the Bank’s governor, Andrew Bailey, told journalists after the rate announcement that the planned pay awards of 5-6% would have a relatively small impact on headline inflation, and suggested it was not a focus for the Bank.
He said the proposed pay increases would probably add less than 0.1 percentage points to headline inflation, relative to an expectation for a 2% pay deal which had been pencilled in by the previous government.
“The proverbial back of the envelope suggests an increment in the inflation space which is very small,” he said on Thursday. “I mean, you’re in quite small second decimal place numbers at that point.”
You can read the full piece here:
Zara Mohammed, the secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), has said hundreds of mosques across the country will be strengthening their security and protective measures this weekend.
Mohammed told the PA news agency:
There is really deep-seated anxiety amongst Muslim communities, particularly for this weekend.
Yesterday we hosted a mosque security community briefing and we had representation from hundreds of mosques across the country and there was palpable fear.
We had mosques saying that they’d had threats on the phone about targeted attacks … we had a lot of anxiety around security and having enough protection.”
Asked about how mosques are preparing, she said:
So it’s around protective measures: ensuring that the doors and windows are secure, carrying out a risk assessment, making sure CCTV cameras are working, and having some paid security staff on site.”
Mohammed stressed the need for Muslim communities to have a “direct relationship” with local police forces during the disorder. Among the areas the MCB says could be targeted are Liverpool, Glasgow, Lancaster, Blackburn, Newcastle, Birmingham, Sunderland, Dover, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Hull.
The campaign group Stand Up to Racism has said that far-right demonstrations are being organised for this coming weekend in more than 25 towns and cities. It adds that “some of these [demonstrations] are specifically targeting mosques”.
Stop the far right. Join the protests in your area this weekend to stand against the fascists and say refugees are welcome here.
— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) August 1, 2024
Thread of protests happening this weekend 👇🏽#standuptoracism #refugeeswelcome #tommyrobinson #noracismnofascism pic.twitter.com/ycCiya8D8P
In a statement, Stand Up to Racism co-convener Sabby Dhalu said:
Attempts by various far right and fascist groups to seize on the brutal attacks in Southport, to riot, stir up hatred, racism, Islamophobia and division must be condemned and opposed. The riots in London, Hartlepool and on Tuesday in Southport, are an insult to a grieving community in Southport.
These actions amount to inciting racial and religious hatred and action must be taken against all those responsible.
The far right are planning further actions this weekend up and down the country. We must stand up to this hatred. Communities must unite against this. We cannot allow racists to divide us at this difficult time.”
The campaign group has listed nine counter-demonstrations due to take place this weekend. On Saturday, there will be counter-demonstrations in Liverpool, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent, it said. On Sunday, counter-demonstrations are scheduled for Rotherham and Weymouth, it added.
Stand Up to Racism co-convener Weyman Bennett said:
There is a common thread. Racists around Britain have been emboldened by the racism of Reform and Farage in parliament, and Robinson’s 15,000 strong demo in London. Both must be held accountable as they whip up Islamophobia and throw fuel on the fire.
Anti-racists are now committed to breaking racists’ confidence again and confronting them where they attempt to spread hatred and attack Muslims.”
Updated
Badenoch campaign team member used offensive names about a councillor
Kemi Badenoch has brought in a Conservative councillor to help on her leadership bid who referred to a female politician in a vulgar manner in a message to another colleague.
Badenoch has Tory councillor Oliver Cooper on her team despite it having emerged in legal action that he had sent messages in 2017 about a female councillor to another activist calling her offensive names.
Among other things, he called her a “cunt” and a “fuckwit”.
Badenoch named Cooper as a point of contact on her leadership team when she emailed Tory councillors this week aiming to drum up support for her bid, announced on Monday.
In her email to councillors, Badenoch said:
There has been too much fighting, too much back-biting and too much drama in Westminster. Our party must, once again, be based on honesty, straight-talking and effectiveness in Westminster, just as it is all across the country.”
The existence of the messages was made public in legal action in 2020 when a Tory activist unsuccessfully tried to sue Hampstead Conservatives, Cooper and others for removing him from the candidates’ list while he was suffering from mental ill health.
The activist’s court action was thrown out by the judge, who ruled it was brought in the wrong court and criticised the activist’s conduct towards the defendants by using threatening behaviour to try to get himself reinstated as a candidate.
Friends of Cooper said the messages were sent privately to the activist, and were an example of him letting off steam and trying to cheer up a friend who was suffering difficult times.
Asked about the messages and his role on Badenoch’s team, Cooper said:
I deeply regret sending those messages, but they were sent privately to someone who needed support. They do not reflect the way I think or act, then or now.
That same person has waged a six-year campaign of vicious harassment against me, which led to a high court judge condemning the individual in the strongest terms and awarding me full costs.”
You can read more of this story here:
South Yorkshire police said it was “aware of a planned protest in Rotherham this weekend” and that there may be “an increased police presence across the county”.
A force spokesperson said:
We are aware of heightened tensions nationally following the tragic incident in Southport earlier this week.
We are engaging with our communities across all areas of the force, and are continuing to monitor any local concerns.
People may see an increased police presence across the county, as we carry out this work. We are also aware of a planned protest in Rotherham this weekend.
As with all protests, our role at any planned events will be to balance the rights of those who wish to protest, together with those who may be impacted by it. While a protest may be peaceful and non-violent, on occasion we are aware the actions of protesters may not always be legal.
Our officers will aim to prevent, where possible, crime and disorder. Where it does occur, we will provide an effective, lawful and proportionate response.”
Insurance boss issues warning over using pensions to drive UK growth
The boss of Royal London, the UK’s biggest insurance group owned by its members, has expressed caution about Labour’s ambition to use pensions to drive economic growth, as he warned of a “ticking timebomb” and urged the government to make greater saving for retirement a priority.
The new chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is launching a landmark pensions review, and pledged a “big bang” for private pension funds, as the government wants to unlock billions of pounds to invest in UK infrastructure and housing.
However, Barry O’Dwyer, the Royal London chief executive, expressed reservations on Friday. “With an estimated £3tn invested in UK pensions, it is understandable pensions are viewed as being able to play a powerful role in supporting UK economic growth,” he said. “However, it is important to remember the primary role of pensions is to fund customers’ retirement.”
A taskforce of industry executives and ministers will propose ways to cut costs and improve investment options, allowing retirement scheme managers to boost pension pots by up to £11,000. The taskforce will also consider making it easier for pension funds to broaden their investment strategies to include a larger slice of UK businesses.
O’Dwyer said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:
In so many ways, we want what [the government] want. They want savers to get the best possible returns. They want to tackle the barriers to pension schemes investing into UK productive assets. That’s all music to our ears.”
However, he added:
Where we might want to go further and faster is to get people saving more for retirement. Four in 10 people of working age aren’t saving enough. It’s a ticking timebomb, and we need to defuse it.
The government is rightly focused on growth, and getting people to save might not be their top priority in the short-term, but the government also wants to help people to do right by themselves. No one wants to see a generation retire into poverty.”
You can read the full piece here:
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it is aware of calls “to block roads using women and children” and for a march to an Islamic centre in Belfast to be held on Saturday.
According to the PA news agency, PSNI Ch Supt Stephen Murray said:
Police are aware of social media posts calling for protests across Northern Ireland this Saturday, 3rd of August.
We are aware of specific calls to block roads using women and children between 12 midday to 2pm in Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Bangor and north, south, east and west Belfast.
We are also aware of calls for protest at 12 midday at Belfast city hall and a 1pm march to the Islamic Centre, University Road, Belfast.
To date no such procession has been notified to the parades commission. It is unclear at this time what the actual provenance for these posts or appetite for this activity is.
We will continue to plan a proportionate policing response and will continue to engage with those groups likely to be affected by any protest activity.”
Lisa Nandy held crisis talks with BBC bosses on Thursday evening as Keir Starmer said he was “shocked and appalled” by the Huw Edwards scandal.
After the culture secretary’s meeting, a Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said:
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent, but given the incredibly serious nature of this issue, the secretary of state has spoken to the BBC to raise concerns on a number of points regarding the handling of their own investigations into Huw Edwards, what safeguards and processes had been followed in this case, and additionally, what further action may be taken, especially with regard to the handling of licence-fee payers’ money.”
Edwards, who was previously the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader and the face of the News at 10 bulletin, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs. He was sent 41 illegal images by the convicted paedophile Alex Williams, seven of which were of the most serious type.
Updated
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has said she will be speaking with sporting bodies about “inclusion, fairness and safety” after what she described as an “incredibly uncomfortable watch” when asked about the Olympic boxing controversy.
But Nandy said the “biological facts are far more complicated than is being presented on social media” as she spoke about Italian fighter Angela Carini having abandoned her bout against Algeria’s Imane Khelif this week.
The secretary of state for culture, media and sport told the BBC:
It was an incredibly uncomfortable watch for the 46 seconds that it lasted. I know that there’s a lot of concern about women competitors, about whether we’re getting the balance right in not just boxing but other sports as well.
The decision that successive governments have made is that these are complex decisions that should be made by sporting bodies. In this case, for example, I understand that the biological facts are far more complicated than is being presented on social media and in some of the speculation.
I think as sporting bodies try to get that balance between inclusion, fairness and safety, there is a role for government to make sure that they’ve got the guidance and the framework, and the support, to make those decisions correctly and it’s something that I’ll be talking to sporting bodies about over the coming weeks and months.”
Merseyside police has made seven arrests related to the violent disorder in Southport on Tuesday evening, with further arrests to be made over the coming weeks, the force has said.
DCI Tony Roberts said:
Following the disorder on Tuesday evening, we have now made seven arrests and further arrests will be made over the coming weeks.
Extensive work is ongoing to identify all those responsible for the despicable actions and we are determined to find everyone involved in this incident.
We continue to explore all lines of inquiry, which includes a specialist team who are currently reviewing hundreds of hours of footage as well as images to identify everyone involved. If you took part in this disorder, you can expect to receive a knock on your door by our officers.
We would continue to appeal to anyone who has information or video footage of those involved in the shocking disorder on Tuesday night to come forward so we can identify and arrest those responsible.”
Updated
UK shelves £1.3bn of funding for technology and AI projects
The new Labour government has shelved £1.3bn of funding pledged by the Conservatives for technology and artificial intelligence projects, putting the future of the UK’s first next-generation supercomputer in doubt.
The projects, announced last year, include £800m for the creation of an exascale supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh and a further £500m for the AI Research Resource, which funds computing power for AI.
The government argues that these were “unfunded commitments”. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the funding had been promised by the previous government but had not been allocated in its spending plans.
A spokesperson said:
We are absolutely committed to building technology infrastructure that delivers growth and opportunity for people across the UK.
The government is taking difficult and necessary spending decisions across all departments in the face of billions of pounds of unfunded commitments. This is essential to restore economic stability and deliver our national mission for growth.”
About £300m in funding for the AI Research Resource has already been distributed and continues as planned.
However, the shadow science secretary, Andrew Griffith, said when the election was called, ministers had been advised by officials that the department was likely to underspend its budget for the current financial year.
He added:
This is a terrible blow to the UK tech sector and could be just the start of Labour cuts. During the election, Labour refused to commit to growing the amount the UK spends on research, yet that’s a core part of growing a modern economy. If DSIT can’t get the funds from the Treasury, this means university research can expect to be hit, too.”
You can read more on this story here:
Earlier, we reported that police forces have been urged to step up patrols outside mosques and asylum seeker accommodation amid plans for at least 19 far-right rallies across England in coming days.
The PA news agency says it has found evidence of at least 15 rallies advertised online, some calling for participants to take England flags, and a number contain phrases such as “enough is enough”, “save our kids” or “stop the boats”.
The rallies are being planned for areas such as Southport, Leeds and Bristol, it adds. Two counter-protests are also being advertised online, reports the news agency.
Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotheram said he was “concerned” that there could be a “repeat of violence somewhere in the Liverpool city region”, but added: “We know exactly what we’d need to do to ensure that these things are nipped in the bud.”
My colleagues, Josh Halliday and Neha Gohil, have added the following details to their report:
The Guardian has seen details of at least 19 far-right rallies being planned for the coming days in towns and cities across England. Many of the events are taking place under the banner “enough is enough” and “protect our kids” – the same slogan used by demonstrators outside Downing Street on Wednesday evening. More than 110 people were arrested after protesters clashed with police.
Counter-demonstrations are due to take place in Manchester and Liverpool amid fears that anti-immigration groups are feeling emboldened by the unrest inspired by the Southport murders.”
Updated
Meghan Gallacher becomes latest MSP to confirm bid for Scottish Conservative leadership
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher has become the latest MSP to confirm she is running for the top job in the party.
The Central Scotland regional MSP announced her candidacy on Friday, saying she offers a “new beginning” for the Tories in Scotland.
I’m standing to be the next leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Here’s why 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/ky6wZubn1x
— Meghan Gallacher MSP (@MGallacherMSP) August 2, 2024
She joins two other Tory MSPs – former crime journalist and current Holyrood justice spokesperson Russell Findlay and ex-Olympic athlete Brian Whittle – who have declared they will run to succeed Douglas Ross.
Others including veteran MSP Murdo Fraser, who was defeated by Ruth Davidson in a leadership bid in 2011, are understood to be considering whether they will run, reports the PA news agency.
Gallacher, a former councillor first elected to Holyrood in 2021, became the party’s deputy leader in 2022.
In a video posted on social media, she said:
The next few weeks will be important in shaping the future of our party. Scotland knows what we stand against, but do they know what we stand for?
This leadership election presents the opportunity for a reset – to renew our offering to the people of Scotland and to our membership who have stood by us through the good times and the bad.”
Gallacher said she wants to build a “modern, centre-right party” with policies focusing on low taxes, property ownership, supporting families and protecting “rights and liberties”.
Pitching herself as a “bold, dynamic and fresh-faced” leader, she said she would deliver a “new beginning for the Scottish Conservatives”.
Meanwhile, Whittle wrote in the Telegraph that it is time to discuss ending free tuition and prescriptions in Scotland.
He said:
Having these conversations will be hard, not least because Labour and the SNP will see it as a golden opportunity to attack us, but I believe Scotland is ready to have those conversations.”
Having these difficult discussions will earn “respect” from voters, he added.
On Thursday, the Scottish Conservatives announced the new leader will be in place by the end of September. Nominations formally open on 8 August and close on 22 August.
Updated
Responding to the prime minister’s press conference on far-right violence yesterday afternoon, Amanda Onwuemene, Green party spokesperson for policing and domestic safety, said:
We all have the right to feel safe in our streets, our homes and our places of worship and it’s absolutely right that the prime minister is taking seriously the horrific racist violence we have seen across the country in recent days.
But let’s be clear – this isn’t a problem that we can police our way out of. Instead, we need to look at the root causes of racism, Islamophobia and violence, and tackle radicalisation at its sources using a joined-up approach across public services.
We also need our elected leaders to step up and condemn racism and Islamophobia wherever it rears its ugly head – not just when it flares into rioting – be that in our communities, in the media, or in the Houses of Parliament.”
Home Office minister warns those planning on organising further disorder 'we will be watching you'
There is potential for more violence in the wake of the Southport attack, a Home Office minister has said, as he warned those planning on organising further disorder “we will be watching you”.
Asked how concerned the government is about the prospect of further disorder on the streets this weekend, David Hanson told LBC Radio:
There is that potential. But I always say to anybody who’s organising this, we will be watching you. If you are organising this now, we will be watching you.
We have powers under existing legislation to stop you organising this now and to take action accordingly, and if you do take action and are not part of any organised group, be prepared to face the full force of the law on this criminal activity.”
Asked whether those involved are from the far right, he said:
Some individuals will have far-right opinions, in my view, some might be caught up in the summer madness. Some might be people who’ve got genuine concerns.
Whatever those concerns are, there are mechanisms where they can raise them with their member of parliament, they can peacefully protest and they can take those issues forward.”
Updated
Nigel Farage is giving 'legitimacy' to violent rioters, says Liverpool city region mayor
Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotheram said Nigel Farage was giving “legitimacy” to violent rioters and “excusing them”.
Rotheram told ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday:
Whilst senior politicians like Farage should be condemning these people – he’s not, he’s excusing them.
He’s giving them some legitimacy to go out and perpetrate some of these acts.”
Former head of counter-terrorism policing Neil Basu said Farage “should think very carefully” about “the power of his words”.
Asked about comments made by the Reform UK leader, Basu told the programme:
That is a far-right politician once again trying to direct policing and law and order. He doesn’t speak for tens of millions of people, the prime minister does – who has to serve the whole population, not just the ones he likes.
And this is not the first time a politician has tried to interfere with operational policing, particularly from that section of politics.”
Basu warned that police forces could be facing a “long, hot summer”.
Updated
In case you missed Keir Starmer’s announcement yesterday of a new violent disorder unit, this piece by my colleagues, Vikram Dodd and Aletha Adu, has the details.
Also, as mentioned in the opening post on this blog, police in England have been urged to protect mosques as the far right plans more rallies. Josh Halliday and Neha Gohil have sent the following report:
Updated
'People absolutely have the right to protest but not the right to riot', says government adviser
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s latest UK politics live blog. I’m Amy and I’ll be bringing you the latest updates today.
John Woodcock, the UK government’s adviser on political violence and disruption, says police should be prepared to step in if it appears troublemakers are travelling to incite riots.
Woodcock, who is a crossbench peer, said disinformation contributed to the unrest which broke out in a number of locations around England after the Southport attack.
He told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme there was a “concerted and coordinated” attempt to spread the violence.
Woodcock said:
Clearly, some of those far-right actors have got a taste for this and are trying to provoke similar in towns and cities across the UK.”
Asked about the best way to prevent the riots, he said protests were sometimes being used as a cover for “violent action”.
He said:
The police should be prepared to step in where they can. Where there is these kinds of gatherings which are just designed to be fanning the flames of violence, [they] should be stopping people gathering.
People absolutely have the right to protest in this country, but they do not have the right to riot.”
Woodcock’s comments come after the prime minister, Keir Starmer, announced a “national capability” will be established to tackle violent disorder and rioters. Starmer also warned social media firms they had a responsibility to clamp down on misinformation.
Police forces have been urged to step up patrols outside mosques and asylum seeker accommodation amid plans for at least 19 far-right rallies across England in coming days.
Violent demonstrations have spread from Southport to London, Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot after the stabbing at a children’s holiday club on Monday.
I’ve been advised by the moderators that comments will not be open today for reasons of sensitivity, plus the risk of contempt of court now that legal proceedings are active. So, if you want to get in touch then please email me at amy.sedghi@guardian.co.uk.
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