Martin Kettle writes: “Britain’s 2024 riots are a surprise national crisis. There was no particular buildup, no clearly discernible pressure-cooker process” (Starmer is being tough on the rioters, but history shows that preventing further unrest is the real challenge, 7 August). I find this unbelievable. People have been warning for years that the relentless triangulation of Nigel Farage and Reform by both the Tory party and the Labour party would eventually open the door for the far right.
The drift to the right has been across the board in UK politics since Margaret Thatcher. If not, then could someone please explain why Labour were so uncritical of the immorality of the entire “stop the boats” gimmick? And why go so far themselves in the same direction, promising they could indeed stop the boats, but with border control?
