PM calls on ministers to repair ‘social fabric’ in bid to avoid repeat of summer riots
Sir Keir Starmer has reportedly demanded urgent action from his cabinet in a bid to avoid a repeat of the far-right riots that gripped the UK last summer.
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The PM is said to have told ministers Britain’s “social fabric” must be repaired and integration must be improved in areas with high immigrant populations.
It comes following a week of anti-migrant protests outside a hotel in Epping that, while mostly peaceful, ultimately descended into violence.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner told ministers immigration was having a “profound impact on society” and said the government must address the “real concerns” of those voicing concerns over high levels of migration, the Times reports.
As the anniversary of the Southport murders nears, anti-migrant sentiment continues to fuel violent protests across UK, most recently in Epping, Essex, where the Bell Hotel has seen a series of demonstrations after one of the men housed there was charged with sexual assault.
More protests are expected at the hotel in the coming days, with far-right influencer Tommy Robinson expected to make an appearance.
One source told the Times Labour has major concerns over the breaking of “unwritten rules that hold a nation together” and fears social media and a lack of integration is leading Brits of different ethnic backgrounds to live “parallel lives.”
Some protesters at the Bell Hotel held signs saying “deport foreign criminals”, "stop the boats" and “defend our girls,” but others turned violent amid footage showing damaged police vans and clashes with officers.
Bottles and eggs were thrown at police as demonstrators set off blue and white flares in protests that lasted into the night.
The demonstrations began when asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault after he allegedly tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl earlier this month.
Essex Police said the protests began peacefully but "escalated to the point of disorder and criminal damage".
Jonathan Glover, 47, of Springfields, Waltham Abbey, Stuart Williams, 36, of Duck Lane, Thornwood, Epping, Keith Silk, 33, of Torrington Drive, Loughton, and Dean Smith, 51, of Madells, Epping, have been charged with violent disorder and are due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on August 18.
Williams and Smith have been remanded in custody, while Glover and Silk are on conditional bail, the force said.
A fifth man, Joe McKenna, 34, of Highcliffe Road, Wickford, is charged with failing to remove a face covering when told to do so and remains on bail until a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on September 24.