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It would be easy to dismiss tabletop gaming as a “geeky” hobby played by young boys in the basements of their homes.

For those who have never enjoyed the rush of playing a miniature wargame, it may come as a surprise that it is in fact a multi-billion-pound industry loved by people from all walks of life and is continuing to boom across the country.

Tabletop gaming covers quite a lot of different things, including board games, card games, dice games, miniature war games, role-playing games and tile-based games.

In this golden age of video games and comic book movies, experts say tabletop gaming has been “pulled along” into the mainstream and is currently enjoying a “renaissance” in the UK.

Pic: Stephen Whistance
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Pic: Stephen Whistance

Games Workshop has been transformed into a billion-pound company thanks to the likes of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.

The firm, which was founded in 1975 by three friends, was originally a manufacturer of wooden boards for games including backgammon, mancala, nine men’s morris, and go.

It later became an importer of the US role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, before going on to publish war games and role-playing games in its own right.

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The company opened its first shop in Hammersmith, west London, in 1978 in a chain that would later spread across the world.

The now Nottingham-headquartered company was worth about £4.7bn at the beginning of December.

To put that into perspective, at the same time Boohoo was worth around £470m, ASOS £455m, and Card Factory £315m.

Pic: Stephen Whistance
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Pic: Stephen Whistance

Superman himself, Henry Cavill, is one of Games Workshop’s A-list clients.

The gaming enthusiast has been attempting to bring a Warhammer film and television universe to life via Amazon MGM Studios, and in recent weeks it was confirmed a TV series is moving forward.

The Hollywood star celebrated the news by making a “pilgrimage” to the very first place he bought Warhammer models more than 30 years ago on his home island of Jersey.

Tabletop gaming enjoying a ‘renaissance’ in the UK

Dr Niall Moody and Dr Hailey Austin, from Abertay University’s faculty of design, informatics and business, told Sky News tabletop gaming is enjoying a “resurgence” in the UK.

Dr Moody, a lecturer in game audio and design, said “these days, geek culture is mainstream”.

He believes the box office draw of the likes of The Lord Of The Rings films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have helped to “pull along things like tabletop gaming”.

Pic: Stephen Whistance
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Pic: Stephen Whistance

Pic: Stephen Whistance
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Pic: Stephen Whistance

Dr Moody said part of its popularity also stems from the fact it has been around for a “very long time”.

He explained: “Board games date back to 3000BC at least. We’ve had card games since, like, the 14-15th century.

“Warhammer’s lineage is kind of from war games. The original one of those is Kriegsspiel from the 19th century.

“And the other big part of tabletop gaming today is tabletop role-playing games.”

He added: “Tabletop role-playing games in particular have become massively popular over the past like 10 years. I think part of the reason they’ve become so popular is down to the actual play stuff.”

Actual play – also called live play – is a genre of podcast or web show where people play tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) for an audience.

It often encompasses in-character interactions between players, storytelling from the gamemaster, and out-of-character engagements such as dice rolls and discussion of game mechanics.

Dr Moody, a game designer and artist, said highly polished shows have inspired would-be players to take up the hobby.

Pic: Stephen Whistance
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Pic: Stephen Whistance

Pic: Stephen Whistance
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Pic: Stephen Whistance

Colleague Dr Austin, a lecturer in visual media and culture, said there is a “huge culture” around playing games right now in the UK.

She noted: “This culture has been huge in Germany and Sweden for a long time, but it’s having a renaissance here now.

“I think it’s similar to sports. Some people know a lot about sports and teams and trends, and watch other people playing sports. And others play it themselves.

“It’s the same with games and board games. Some people only like to watch, and others like to join in casually, or competitively.

“I think some people don’t know how popular it is because we are in an age of information overload and there’s no way to know about everything, while there’s no excuse not to know anything.”

Dr Austin, whose PhD is in comic books, believes role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons – which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024 – are enjoying a revival in part due to the popularity of the likes of Netflix show Stranger Things, as well as podcasts and well-produced live sessions like Critical Role and Dimension 20.

Pic: Stephen Whistance
Image:
Pic: Stephen Whistance

Dr Austin, a programme lead for Abertay University’s BA (Hons) game design and production course, noted the hobby is often thought of as being “consumed by predominantly young men” but that isn’t the case.

She said: “Board games, card games, party games and role-playing games are incredibly popular with all kinds of people and have been for a long time.

“In fact, by most accounts, women tend to make up around 50% of game players. They just aren’t thought of as the main market.”

She also believes Generation Z’s alcohol habits could also be playing a positive role in the hobby’s popularity.

A YouGov survey released at the beginning of 2024 found that almost half of the UK’s youngest drinkers were turning down booze for low or no-alcohol alternatives.

Dr Austin said: “From what I understand, young people don’t want to go out drinking much anymore. They would rather stay home with friends and play games.

“It’s a nice, lowkey way to be social, meet like-minded people, and a safe space to express themselves.”

An important lifeline to those seeking friendship

Crossfire Gaming Club
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(L-R) Chris Mooney, Stephen Bannerman, Curtis Walker and Simon Lewis are on the Crossfire Gaming Club committee

One Scottish club is testament to the popularity of tabletop gaming.

Crossfire Gaming Club was founded by a group of six friends in February 2023.

Club chairman Chris Mooney, 37, told Sky News the men needed a place to game after “getting it in the neck” from their wives and partners for repeatedly playing at each other’s houses.

They hired out Cumbernauld Village Hall in North Lanarkshire and hoped to attract a few other gamers.

It has since grown exponentially with club nights held on both Mondays and Thursdays.

Crossfire Gaming Club
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Crossfire Gaming Club has used some of its Lotto funding to purchase high-quality gaming terrain

Crossfire Gaming Club

Mr Mooney said: “We thought if we get eight to 10 people that’ll be a massive success for us. Now we’re averaging 50-odd. It’s no longer a small operation.”

Members play a wide variety of games, from the likes of Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar and Infinity to Blood Bowl, Kill Team and Star Wars: X-Wing.

Starter armies are available to players who don’t have any gaming equipment, and intro games can be arranged for those who have never played before.

Crossfire Gaming Club
Crossfire Gaming Club

There’s even a hobby area where members can sit down and paint their models while chatting to others.

The club has invested in board games, and other groups that need a space for the likes of Dungeons & Dragons are additionally invited to get in touch.

Since its inception, the club has received £25,248 from National Lottery Awards for All Scotland.

The committee has used some of the money to purchase high-quality gaming terrain.

Crossfire Gaming Club

The lotto cash has also been used to fund more tables, buy merchandise like club hoodies, and subsidise expeditions – like group cinema trips and axe-throwing adventures.

Mr Mooney said the funding has helped “massively”.

He said: “It takes the pressure off us as we don’t have to worry about the next council bill that’s coming in for the hall or so.”

Crossfire Gaming Club
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The club boasts a hobby area where members can paint their models

Mr Mooney, who was part of a gaming club years ago, agrees with Dr Moody’s sentiment that the popularity of computer games and comic book movies have helped to bolster the perception of tabletop gaming.

He said: “It’s become a lot less taboo over time. It used to be one person in the classroom that collected comic books, but now it’s very accepted because Marvel is mainstream and all sorts.

“Geek culture has become very mainstream, and that’s kind of pulled along things like wargaming with it as well.”

Mr Mooney says some of those within the “gaming, wargaming and geek culture suffer from social anxiety”.

He said that’s why he personally likes the club, explaining: “I like coming out and talking to people.”

Crossfire Gaming Club
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Crossfire Gaming Club members during a games night

Dr Moody agrees that its popularity has led to the creation of public events, societies and board game cafes – all deemed to be a “safe space” for those with social anxiety.

Dr Moody said: “With social anxiety in particular, it can be really hard to socialise in more traditional settings like pubs.

“If the sole focus is social interactions, like making small talk, it can be really hard if you struggle with social anxiety, and you can often freeze up in those situations.

“But one of the really good things about games, tabletop games in particular, is that they give you something else to focus on that helps you relax around other people.

“It’s a great way to meet people in a low-stakes setting.”

Crossfire Gaming Club
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Jac Harvie

Jac Harvie, 25, is one such member who enjoys the social aspect of the club as most of his friends are not into tabletop gaming. “I’ve got anxiety and can struggle sometimes, but here I feel like I’m among friends,” he said.

“We share a lot of the same likes and talk about things like new books that have come out.”

Crossfire Gaming Club
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Jac Harvie and Connor Leitch

Even when he’s losing, Mr Harvie is still having fun.

He explained: “Even the bad nights are good because you enjoy yourself.”

Crossfire Gaming Club
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Kevin McMail

Kevin McMail, 39, is another member who believes the club offers an important lifeline to those seeking friendship.

Due to the effects of lockdown, he found himself in front of a screen a lot.

“I realised I was probably spending more time at home with the dog than out and about the way I had before. I was like, ‘I’ve got to get away from this’.”

Crossfire Gaming Club
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Mr Mooney and Mr McMail

Mr McMail said unlike basic video gaming, there are “extra elements” to the hobby as participants can express their artistic side through the painting of their battle figurines.

He added: “I think a lot of people are attached to screens a lot, but you don’t feel the same level of social experience when you’re playing online games with people.

“That level of social connection, I think it’s important for a lot of people. And that’s what you get here – just an unbelievably supportive community.”

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Jeff Stewart: Actor who played Reg Hollis in The Bill helps police arrest shoplifter

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Jeff Stewart: Actor who played Reg Hollis in The Bill helps police arrest shoplifter

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.

The Bill actors, from left to right; Jeff Stewart, Roberta Taylor, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin and Cyril Nri
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(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.

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Still of police footage of actor Jeff Stewart who played PC Reg Hollis in The Bill helping arrest a shoplifter in Southampton
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Police released footage showing their pursuit of a shoplifter in Southampton. Pic: Hampshire Constabulary

Still of police footage of actor Jeff Stewart who played PC Reg Hollis in The Bill helping arrest a shoplifter in Southampton
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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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Oasis photographers remember the early days: ‘The journalist had to take a week off afterwards!’

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Oasis photographers remember the early days: 'The journalist had to take a week off afterwards!'

It was a cold, typically rainy Manchester evening, October 1993, when Michael Spencer Jones set out to meet a new guitar band he had been commissioned to photograph.

The weather was miserable, he didn’t know their music, wasn’t totally in the mood. “I had to drag myself from home, thinking: is it going to be worth the trouble?”

On the drive to the Out Of The Blue studio in Ancoats, on the outskirts of the city centre, a song he’d never heard before came on the local radio station. “It was like, wow, what is that?” The track was Columbia, by Oasis, the band he was on his way to meet.

He started to get excited.

Oasis star Liam Gallagher. Photo: © Michael Spencer Jones
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Liam Gallagher at the Out Of The Blue studios in October 1993. Photo: © Michael Spencer Jones

Spencer Jones had previously met Noel Gallagher during the musician’s time as a roadie for fellow Manchester band Inspiral Carpets. But not Liam.

“As a photographer, obviously, the aesthetic of a band is massively important,” he says as he recalls that first shoot. “I’m just looking down the camera lens with a certain amount of disbelief.”

In front of him was a 21-year-old, months before the start of the fame rollercoaster that lay ahead. And yet. “I was looking at a face that just seemed to embody the quality of stardom.”

Liam Gallagher pictured in one of the outtakes for the Be Here Now cover shoot. Pic: © Michael Spencer Jones
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Liam Gallagher pictured during the shoot for the cover of Be Here Now. Photo: © Michael Spencer Jones

‘Success was inevitable’

It was the start of a partnership that continued throughout the band’s heyday, with Spencer Jones shooting the covers for their first three albums, their most successful records, and the singles that went with them.

“You work with bands pre-fame and there’s always that question: are they going to make it? With Oasis there was never that question. Their success was inevitable.”

There was a confidence, even in those early days. “Incredible, intoxicating confidence. [They were] not interested in any kind of social norms or social constraints.”

It wasn’t arrogance, he says, of a criticism sometimes levelled at the Gallaghers. “They just had this enormous self-belief.”

Spencer Jones was one of several photographers who followed the band, capturing the moments that became part of rock history.

Oasis in Paris on the banks of The Seine in 1995 (L-R). Pic: Jill Furmanovsky
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Tension on the banks of The Seine in Paris in 1995. Photo: © Jill Furmanovsky

‘Noel had an uncanny intuition’

Jill Furmanovsky, who started working with Oasis towards the end of 1994, a few months after the release of debut album Definitely Maybe, says Noel always seemed aware their time together should be documented.

“An uncanny intuition, really, that it was important,” she says. “I think Noel has been aware right from the start, because for him that’s what he used to look at when he used to buy his Smiths records or Leo Sayer or whatever, he would stare at the covers and be fascinated by the pictures.”

Contrary to popular belief, Furmanovsky says the brothers got on fairly well most of the time, “otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to function”.

Oasis around the release of Be Here Now in 1997. Pic: Jill Furmanovsky
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This image was taken around the release of third album Be Here Now in 1997. Photo: © Jill Furmanovsky

She picks one shoot in 1997, around the release of their third album, Be Here Now, as one of the more memorable ones. Noel had shared his thoughts about the band on a chalkboard and “they were having such a laugh.”

But when things did erupt, it became significant. “There were tensions in some shoots but they never started hitting each other in front of me or anything like that. I used to complain about it, actually – ‘don’t leave me out of those pictures where you’re really arguing!’.”

In Paris in 1995, tensions had boiled over. “It’s one of my favourites,” she says of the shoot. “It reflects not just the band but the family situation, these brothers in a strop with each other.”

What is notable, she says, is that they were happy for photographers to take candid shots, not just set up pictures to show them “looking cool”. Pictures that on the surface might sound mundane, showing “what they were really like – tensions, mucking about, sometimes yawning… This was the genius of Noel and [former Oasis press officer] Johnny Hopkins.”

Furmanovsky also notes the women who worked behind the scenes for Oasis – unusual at a time when the industry was even more male-dominated than it is now – and how they kept them in line.

Read more on Oasis:
A high-five and the briefest hug: Oasis – the first reunion gig
Cool Britannia: Life in the UK in the ’90s
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Oasis stars Liam and Noel Gallagher during a break from the Wonderwall video shoot September 1995. Pic: Jill Furmanovsky
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The brothers pictured during a break from the Wonderwall video shoot September 1995. Photo: © Jill Furmanovsky

“They got on well working with women,” she says. “Maggie Mouzakitis was their tour manager for ages and was so young, but she ruled. For a band one could say were a bunch of macho Manchester blokes, they had a lot of women working in senior positions.”

This is down to the influence of their mum, Peggy, she adds. “Absolutely crucial.”

Furmanovsky has been working with Noel on an upcoming book documenting her time with the band, and says she initially wanted to start with a picture of the Gallagher matriarch. “Noel said to me, ‘Jill, you do know she wasn’t actually in the band?'”

Oasis stars Noel and Liam Gallagher in Portland Street, Manchester, in August 1995. Pic: Kevin Cummins
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The Gallaghers in Portland Street, Manchester, in August 1995. Photo: © Kevin Cummins/ Iconic Images 2025

Touring with Oasis – ‘the journalist had to take a week off’

Kevin Cummins was commissioned to take pictures when Oasis signed to Creation Records, and it “kind of spiralled out of control a little bit”, he laughs.

“I photographed them for NME, gave them their first cover. I photographed them in Man City shirts because we were all Man City fans, and City were at the time sponsored by a Japanese electronics company, Brother. It seemed a perfect fit.”

The early days documenting the band were “fairly riotous”, he says. “They were quite young, they were obviously enjoying being in the limelight.

“I remember we went on tour with them for three days for an NME ‘on the road’ piece, and the journalist who came with me had to take a week off afterwards.

“I dipped in and out of tours occasionally – I’ve always done that with musicians because I cannot imagine spending more than about seven or eight days on tour with somebody, it would drive you nuts. They’re so hedonistic, especially in the early days. It’s very, very difficult to keep up.”

Photos of Oasis taken by Kevin Cummins are on display at Wembley Park throughout the summer. Pic: Kevin Cummins/ Iconic Images 2025
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Photos of Oasis taken by Kevin Cummins are on display at Wembley Park throughout the summer. Photo: © Kevin Cummins/ Iconic Images 2025

Cummins says the relationship between Noel and Liam was “like anybody’s relationship, if you’ve got a younger brother – he’d get on your nerves.”

During the shoot for the City shirt pictures, he says, “Liam kicked a ball at Noel, Noel pushed him, Liam pushed him back. They have a bit of a pushing match and then they stop and they get on with it.”

Another time, following a show in Portsmouth, “as soon as we got [to the hotel] after the gig, Liam threw all the plastic furniture in the pool. Noel looked at him and said, ‘where are we going to sit?’ And he made him get in the pool and get all the furniture out. So there were like attempts at being rock and roll, and not quite getting it right sometimes.”

Cummins says he has “very affectionate” memories of working with Oasis. “I’ve got a lot of very sensitive looking pictures of Liam and people are really surprised when they see them,” he says. “But he is a very sensitive lad… it’s just he was irritating because he was younger and he wanted to make himself heard.”

Photographes taken by Kevin Cummins are on display at Wembley Park throughout the summer
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Photo: © Kevin Cummins/ Iconic Images 2025

Getting ready for the reunion

All three photographers have yet to see the reunion show, but all have tickets. All say the announcement last summer came as a surprise.

“There was an inkling of it, I suppose, just in the thawing of the comments between the brothers, but I still wouldn’t have guessed it,” says Furmanovsky, who has a book out later this year, and whose pictures feature in the programme. “It’s wonderful they have pulled it off with such conviction and passion.”

Cummins’ work can be seen in a free outdoor exhibition at Wembley Park, which fans will be able to see throughout the summer until the final gigs there in September.

“I think the atmosphere at the gigs seems to have been really friendly… I like the idea that people are taking their kids and they’re passing the baton on a little bit,” he says. “Everyone’s just having a blast and it’s like the event of the summer – definitely something we need at the moment.”

Noel and Liam Gallagher returning to the house where the cover for Definitely Maybe was shot. Pic: © Michael Spencer Jones
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The Gallaghers returning to Bonehead’s former home, where the cover for Definitely Maybe was shot. Photo: © Michael Spencer Jones

Spencer Jones, who released his second Oasis book, Definitely Maybe – A View From Within, for the album’s 30th anniversary last year – adds: “They really seem to be capturing a new generation of fans and I don’t think a band has ever done that [to this extent] before. Bands from 20, 30 years ago normally just take their traditional fanbase with them.”

But he says his first thought when the reunion was announced was for the Gallaghers’ mum, Peggy. “I think for any parent, to have two children who don’t talk is pretty tough,” he says. “It’s that notion of reconciliation – if they can do it, anyone can do it.

“The fact they’re walking on stage, hands clasped together, there’s a huge amount of symbolism there that transcends Oasis and music. Especially in a fractured society, that unity is inspiring. Everyone’s had a bit of a rough time since COVID, battle weary with life itself. I think people generally are just gagging to have some fun.”

Brothers: Liam And Noel Through The Lens Of Kevin Cummins is on at Wembley Park until 30 September. Definitely Maybe – A View From Within, by Michael Spencer Jones, available through Spellbound Galleries, is out now. Oasis: Trying To Find A Way Out Of Nowhere, by Jill Furmanovsky and edited by Noel Gallagher, published by Thames & Hudson, is out from 23 September.

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Govt ‘shadowy’ to reveal Rayner warning about social cohesion in ‘readout’, Harriet Harman says

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Govt 'shadowy' to reveal Rayner warning about social cohesion in 'readout', Harriet Harman says

It was “shadowy” of the government to reveal Angela Rayner warned about the threat to social cohesion in a “readout”, Harriet Harman has said.

On Wednesday, Downing Street released a “cabinet readout” saying the deputy prime minister told ministers the government “had to show it had a plan to address people’s concerns” to defuse community tensions.

She said immigration was having a “profound impact on society” and noted 17 out of 18 places where protests broke out last summer after kicking off in Southport were the most deprived areas in Britain.

This was widely interpreted as a warning that riots could happen this summer.

But Baroness Harman told Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that announcing it in a “readout” – given to journalists after a cabinet meeting – was not the way to do things.

“These are quite huge issues – the potential for disorder, social integration, the public mood, and ahead of summer,” the Labour peer said.

“I don’t know whether I’m just a bit old-fashioned about this, but I think it’s better when government are making statements like that they give people an opportunity to ask questions rather than this kind of sort of rather shadowy way of doing it.”

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Read more: Essex Police say Farage claims about migrant hotel protest are ‘categorically wrong’

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Essex Police chief denies Farage claims

The former minister added that cabinet meetings are supposed to be secret so that everybody around the table can speak and say “anything they want because there is this protected thing”.

“You don’t say what’s happening at cabinet,” she added.

“And if anybody asks in the House of Commons or anywhere else, what happened in cabinet, the automatic response is ‘we don’t talk about what’s happened in cabinet, it’s private’. And they’ve sort of slightly breached that now.

“So is it now a situation where anybody can be asked, what did somebody say in cabinet?

“Or is it only that the prime minister can say what happened in cabinet?

“It’s a bit puzzling.”

Baroness Harman’s comments came after protests in Epping last week outside a hotel housing asylum seekers turned violent.

More than 1,000 people gathered outside The Bell Hotel in protests over two nights after an asylum seeker was arrested and charged on suspicion of alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in the town.

Counter-protesters joined, and this week Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused Essex Police of bussing them in, which the force said was “categorically wrong”.

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