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.”
Key events
UK shelves £1.3bn of funding for technology and AI projects
Julia Kollewe
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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”.
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:
‘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.