Keir Starmer urged to apologise over ‘dog whistle’ tweet about Rishi Sunak
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to apologise over a Labour social media post which claimed Rishi Sunak doesn’t think child sex abusers should go to prison.
The party has been accused of “gutter politics” and criticised by its own MPs after posting a message on its official Twitter account vowing to “lock up dangerous criminals”.
The tweet pointed to data from the Ministry of Justice showing that 4,500 adults convicted of sex acts on children avoided a prison sentence since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.
It said: “Do you think adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison? Rishi Sunak doesn’t.”
The language has been widely criticised, with many drawing comparisons to Boris Johnson’s false claim last year that Sir Keir failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile when he was Director of Public Prosecutions.
Veteran Labour MP John McDonnell said: “This is not the sort of politics a Labour Party, confident of its own values and preparing to govern, should be engaged in.
“I say to the people who have taken the decision to publish this ad, please withdraw it. We, the Labour Party, are better than this.”
Conservative peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi also condemned Labour’s tweet while hitting out at her own party for triggering an “appalling fight into the gutter”.
She said: “Dog whistle met by dog whistle.
“Disgraceful comments by Braverman over the weekend has triggered an appalling fight into the gutter.
“At what point are we going to talk about the victims? Where is the protection for the half million kids sexually exploited in our country every yr.”
Last week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman claimed Labour-run areas failed to stop child grooming gangs over fears they would be called “racist”.
The row has renewed calls for tighter laws around political campaigning, as both main parties seek to sell themselves as strong on law and order ahead of the local elections.
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A new taskforce will be made up of officers with ‘extensive experience’ of grooming gangs investigations to provide ‘crucial support’ to police forces across England.
Row shows need for law ‘requiring honesty in politics’
Compassion in Politics, a campaign group working to “clean up” public debate in Britain, called on Sir Keir to withdraw the ad and apologise.
“This kind of political discourse poisons the water that we all must drink from. It drives up hate and drags down standards,” Co-director Jennifer Nadel told Sky News.
“Sir Keir Starmer has rightly identified that the public want to see politicians act with respect, dignity, and decency. He can start by pulling this ad from circulation and issuing an immediate apology.”
Compassion in Politics has worked with lawyers to create a new bill which would make it a criminal offence for politicians to lie to the public, punishable by a fine or jail.
The bill is being sponsored by Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts while over 200,000 people have signed a petition backing it.
Ms Nadel said incidents like this show why “going forwards, we need to look at the levers we can pull to really clean up our politics”.
“We would introduce a law to require that political communications are based on honesty and truth and to ensure that breaches of the founding principles of our democracy – accountability, respect, and toleration – can be investigated and acted upon,” she said.
“If we’re to solve the problems we face as a nation and build a country that is inclusive, caring, and prosperous we have to start working together to achieve that goal.”
Labour declined to comment on the backlash to the tweet.
A spokesman for the party said: “The Conservatives have left dangerous convicted criminals free to roam the streets.
“Labour is the party of law and order, and we will implement tougher sentences for dangerous criminals.”
UK
Epping council demands government ‘immediately’ close asylum hotel – as Home Office works to ‘restore order’
Epping council has unanimously voted to urge the government to shut a hotel housing asylum seekers after a series of protests.
Epping Forest District Council in Essex passed a motion calling for the Bell Hotel to be “immediately and permanently” closed “for the purposes of asylum processing”.
Several demonstrations have been held outside the hotel since 13 July, after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
Police have arrested 18 people and charged nine in connection with the protests.
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Eight officers injured during migrant protest
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, from Ethiopia, denied sexually assaulting the 14-year-old girl at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court last week and will stand trial in August.
The Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has also reportedly urged the home secretary to review the use of the hotel for housing asylum seekers.
In a letter to Yvette Cooper, Roger Hirst said the hotel is unsuitable for housing migrants and is “clearly creating community tension”, the Telegraph reported.
Protests in Epping turned violent last week
Home Office ‘working to restore order’
The Home Office has vowed to “restore order,” threatening on Friday to make asylum seekers homeless if they refuse a change of accommodation.
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It said a new “failure to travel” policy is looking to tackle “non-compliance by asylum seekers” and will ensure individuals who are moved from hotels to suitable alternative accommodation must take it.
Those who refuse to move without a valid reason will now risk losing their housing and support, the Home Office said.
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Epping migration protest in focus
Dame Angela Eagle, minister for border security and asylum, said: “We are working to close hotels, restore order, and put fairness and value for money at the heart of our asylum system.
“This government is making those necessary decisions to protect the taxpayer and uphold the integrity of our borders.”
Asked specifically about the Epping Forest District Council vote, the Home Office said: “We’ll continue to work closely with local police and community partners, in Epping and across the country, as we fix this broken system.”
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Eight officers injured
Protests outside the Bell Hotel last Thursday began peacefully but escalated into what police described as “scattered incidents of violence,” leaving eight officers injured.
Police are braced for further protests, vowing to act swiftly if unrest spreads.
UK
There were ‘failings’ in care of ex-England cricketer Graham Thorpe in months before he died, coroner says
The actor who played PC Reg Hollis in hit TV series The Bill has been praised by officers after helping them arrest a shoplifter.
Jeff Stewart stepped in when a thief attempted to escape on a bicycle in Southampton on Wednesday.
In a statement, a Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: “The thief, 29-year-old Mohamed Diallo, fell off the bike during his attempts to flee, before officers pounced to make their arrest.
“To their surprise, local TV legend Jeff Stewart, who played PC Hollis for 24 years in The Bill, came to their aid by sitting on the suspect’s legs while officers put him in cuffs.
(L-R) Jeff Stewart, Roberta Taylor, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin and Cyril Nri celebrating The Bill’s 21st anniversary in 2004. Pic: PA
“In policing you should always expect the unexpected, but this really wasn’t on The Bill for this week.”
The Bill was broadcast on ITV between 1984 and 2010 and featured the fictional lives of police officers from the Sun Hill police station in east London.
Mr Stewart, who was among the original cast, appeared in more than 1,000 episodes as PC Hollis.
Police released footage showing their pursuit of a shoplifter in Southampton. Pic: Hampshire Constabulary
As the suspect falls to the floor, PC Hollis (aka Jeff Stewart) sits on his legs. Pic: Hampshire Constabulary
In praising Mr Stewart’s actions, the force said: “Long since retired from Sun Hill station – but he’s still got it.”
Police from the Bargate Neighbourhoods Policing Team were alerted by staff at a Co-op store in Ocean Way to a suspected shoplifter on Wednesday.
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Mohamed Diallo, 29, of Anglesea Road, Southampton, was subsequently charged with five offences of theft relating to coffee, alcohol and food from the Co-op and two other Sainsbury’s stores on three dates in April and July.
He pleaded guilty at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and was bailed to be sentenced on August 29.
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