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A senior member of Rishi Sunak’s shadow ministerial team has been branded “disgusting” after appearing to suggest that the far right riots sweeping the UK are the fault of Labour opposing the Rwanda deportation scheme.
Shadow Welsh secretary Byron Davies got caught up in an exchange on X/Twitter with Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges over whether there could be any political justification for the riots.
After he appeared to suggest that the fault lay at the feet of Sir Keir Starmer and Labour for opposing the Rwanda scheme, Rishi Sunak intervened, after initially declining to take action, and asked the Conservative chief whip in the Lords to speak to him.
Labour’s new Welsh secretary Jo Stevens condemned the peer who is currently shadowing her after the Tories lost every seat in Wales at the last election.
She posted: “The shadow Welsh secretary's comments are disgusting, misguided and dangerous. Racist violence is never justified.
“Politicians, including unelected ones, have an important responsibility to de-escalate tensions. Those inflaming them should seriously consider their position.”
The row has come on a day when Rotherham became the latest English town to be scarred by far-right violence with a hotel set on fire with asylum seekers inside it.
Violent scenes have hit Southport, Liverpool, Belfast, Hull and Halifax since misinformation about the murder of three girls in Southport triggered the first wave of civil unrest in the Merseyside seaside resort.
The exchange started with Mr Hodges stating: “There’s no political justification for the disorder we have seen. But if people want to get into the blame game these are the facts. The Tories were in power for 14 years. Labour have been in power for four weeks. Blaming Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper for this is just ridiculous.”
Lord Davies, the former MP for Gower, responded: “But Labour blocked the Rwanda Bill 130+ times of course it’s politically justified!”
A surprised Mr Hodges questioned whether it was a genuine account but Lord Davies confirmed it was.
He said: “I am for real @DPJHodges and stand by my comment, that Labour’s lack of support in parliament to find a solution to the boat issue, cannot be politically justified.”
Mr Hodges retorted: “That’s not what you said. My tweet, and your reply, are clear.”
But an unrepentant Lord Davies replied: “You can put whatever interpretation you like to entertain your followers but the fact remains, Labour were unhelpful in passing legislation to combat the issue of the boats and for that, there cannot be any political justification. That’s what I said and that’s what I mean.”
A Conservatve Party spokesman made it clear that Lord Davies had been given a warning about his conduct.
He said: “These comments are unacceptable. Lord Davies is being spoken to by the Lords opposition chief whip and reminded of the consequences of the misuse of language at such a sensitive time and the standards expected of him as a member of the shadow cabinet.”
Lord Davies is not the only senior tory to face questions over statements on the riots with Hampshire police and crime commissioner Donna Jones also criticised for a statement she issued, deleted and then reissued which some critics saw as giving justification to the angry scenes.
