Keir Starmer pledges 'standing army' of police to deal with riots as MPs urge parliament recall

Sir Keir Starmer has called for the perpetrators of violent riots to be named and shamed, as he announced a “standing army” of specialist police officers was being assembled to crack down on widespread disorder.

The Prime Minister vowed to “ramp up criminal justice” after an emergency Cobra meeting was held on Monday in the wake of a sixth day of disorder in the wake of the Southport stabbing attack, which saw rioters storm hotels housing asylum seekers.

The declaration from Sir Keir comes with MPs from multiple parties urging Downing Street to recall Parliament from recess to address the crisis.

Police clashed with crowds in harrowing scenes in Rotherham on Sunday, with escalating violence leading to unrest in Belfast, Hull, Halifax, Liverpool, London ad Southport.

So far, there have been 378 arrests since the violence broke out last week, with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) warning the total was expected to rise each day.

Several suspects faced charges in court on Monday, as ministers and police chiefs descended on Westminster for the meeting setting out the response for the coming days in a bid to clamp down on further unrest.

Calls for the army to be brought in have so far been dismissed, with the government insisting the police already have the resources needed to respond.

Setting out the action to be taken after the meeting, the Prime Minister said: “The first is we will have a standing army of specialist public duty officers, so that we will have enough officers to deal with this where we need them.

“The second is we will ramp up criminal justice. There have already been hundreds of arrests, some have appeared in court this morning. I have asked for early consideration of the earliest naming and identification of those involved in the process who will feel the full force of the law.”

Sir Keir issued a similar warning to anyone whipping up violence online as the UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle stressed that social media companies providing “a platform for this hate” must go further in tackling the problem.

Downing Street also criticised X owner Elon Musk for claiming “civil war is inevitable” in the UK, with officials suggesting online misinformation fuelling disorder on Britain’s streets may be being amplified by foreign state actors.

It comes as Sir Keir addressed the nation on Sunday amid the biggest early challenge to his premiership, telling perpetrators they would “regret” engaging in “far-right thuggery”.

The police specialists are believed to come from an expansion of the existing mutual aid scheme, to allow officers to be deployed around the country as needed. How long this measure would be in place, the number of officers involved and what it will cost is not yet known.

Former first minister Humza Yousaf over the weekend demanded for the army be called in to stop “thugs” causing disorder on the streets.

And former prime minister Liz Truss used her appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on Monday to say the riots “cannot be allowed to escalate” as she condemned the “appalling violence”. She said Sir Keir should hold daily Cobra meetings to get a handle on the situation.

It comes amid growing calls for the UK government to end Parliament’s recess to address the issue. Parliament is in recess and not scheduled to return until September 2. However, the Northern Ireland Assembly is being recalled later this week to discuss violent scenes after an anti-immigration protest in Belfast.

During times when the House of Commons is not sitting, the Speaker can, if asked by the government, decide to recall the House of Commons. However, he must decide whether it is in the public interest to do so.

If the Speaker agrees to the request, he will then decide what day or days the House should sit during the recall. The Speaker cannot decide to recall the House of Commons without being asked to do so by the government.

Parliament has only been recalled from recess six times in the past decade – once in 2016 to pay tribute to Labour MP Jo Cox after her murder by a far-right terrorist, on three occasions in 2020 and 2021 to debate issues related to the pandemic, again in April 2021 to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh after his death, and most recently in August 2021 after the fall of Kabul.

Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel, Labour MPs, including Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have all called for the Commons to cut short its recess.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference in Downing Street, London, | PA

Speaking to Times Radio on Monday, Tory leadership contender Dame Priti Patel said the country was seeing “extraordinary criminality”.

She said: “We now need to, in my view, as politicians, get some kind of grip on this, which is why I am calling for the recall of Parliament right now, so that we can actually discuss these issues.”

Dame Priti compared the situation to the 2011 riots, when Parliament was recalled to debate the response to disorder, adding there were “many practical things” that could be achieved by recalling MPs.

She said: “Local authorities are now under pressure, the police are under pressure to do more effectively. We need to find out what more do they need.”

In a separate row, Dame Priti joined the Prime Minister in rubbishing claims there was “two-tier policing” in Britain, where right-wing protests were dealt with more harshly than those with left-wing influence.

The most senior police officer in the country, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, appeared to grab a reporter’s microphone and throw it on the ground when he was asked about two-tier policing as he left the Cobra meeting. Asked about the incident, the force said he was “in a hurry”. NPCC chairman Gavin Stephens stressed police were not “anti-protest”, but were “anti-crime”.

Several backbench Labour MPs have also urged the recall of Parliament.

Veteran MP Diane Abbott told the BBC Parliament should be recalled because MPs “don’t know” what ministers are doing to tackle the riots.

She said: “This is an extraordinarily grave situation. You’ve got people trying to burn down hostels where asylum seekers are cowering. You’ve got people attacking black and Muslim people on the street.

“We need to be able to question ministers on what exactly is being done and we want to speak up for our communities. These are racist anti-immigrant riots and we need proper debate and proper analysis in the House of Commons.”

Brent East MP Ms Butler said: “It may be time to recall Parliament. This violence needs to stop. PM is right, arrests must be swift. We must also tackle the causes of this violence, which is as simple as it is complex. Some uncomfortable truths must be addressed.”

Others such as Ian Byrne and Zarah Sultana simply tweeted “Recall Parliament”.

Also demanding the recall of Parliament, Mr Farage said the country needed to have “a more honest debate” about immigration, integration and policing to “give people the confidence that there are political solutions that are relevant to them”.

However, speaking on Monday morning, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Parliament would not be recalled “right now”.

It has been estimated households and businesses could claim for compensation of up to £1 million in the aftermath of the riots.