The Conservative leadership candidate Priti Patel has criticised Nigel Farage’s response to the far-right riots, saying it was wrong to compare the violence to Black Lives Matter protests.
The former home secretary has also written to the prime minister and home secretary, urging them to recall parliament, drawing parallels with the 2011 riots when MPs returned for a government statement on civil disorder and to condemn the violence.
Farage condemned the violence against police officers in a statement posted on X on Monday morning but the Reform UK leader said “deeper long-term problems remain”. He also called for the recall of parliament and said the government should consider deploying the army.
He added: “Ever since the soft policing of the Black Lives Matter protests, the impression of two-tier policing has become widespread. The prime minister’s faltering attempts to address the current crisis have only added to that sense of injustice.”
Patel said Farage’s comments were deeply misleading and “simply not relevant right now”. She told Times Radio: “There’s a clear difference between effectively blocking streets or roads being closed to burning down libraries, hotels, food banks and attacking places of worship. What we have seen is thuggery, violence, racism.
“Over the last week we saw the most appalling stabbings in Southport. Horrific crimes being committed. We’ve seen violence and thuggery on the streets. What we saw during the pandemic, we saw protest. We believe in free speech. We saw protests that were being policed. What we’re seeing right now is thuggery and disorder and criminality. There is a complete distinction between the two.”
Patel said that elected politicians must “always be careful” about potentially spreading misinformation. Asked if she would feel safe in areas gripped by violence over the weekend, Patel said: “I would not feel safe in some of the areas and communities where we’ve seen racism and thuggery on our streets.
“I grew up with people using the P-word against me. I think some of the individuals that are now involved in this violence, disorder and racism that we are seeing in parts of the country – that’s no different to the type of racism that I experienced when I was growing up, and I just think that there’s no place for that in our amazing country.”
In her letter asking for parliament to be recalled, Patel said: “As home secretary I brought forward much stronger protections against disproportionate protest and disorder. The government must act again and now. Parliament and the public need reassurances that the government are taking the steps necessary to restore law and order. Recalling parliament will provide the forum for that reassurance.
MPs from across the political spectrum have demanded the recall of parliament, though the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said that was not under consideration.
The shadow home secretary, James Cleverly, also said he thought it was not necessary. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There’s nothing that needs to be voted on, there are no additional powers [needed].”
Labour MPs including Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler have also called for parliament to return.
