Tory leader hopeful Tom Tugendhat on Tuesday argued that there is a “culture of denial” in the UK as he criticised the Prime Minister for his response to the recent riots.
In his first major speech of the Conservative leadership campaign, the former security minister said Sir Keir Starmer showed a “failure of leadership” when violence broke out in towns and cities across Britain last week.
Mr Tugendhat also accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of “reckless political rhetoric” in an address focussed on law and order.
“Too often, over the last two decades or more, we have avoided being brutally honest, preferring instead the warmth and false comfort of denial and complacency,” he said.
“We need to end the culture of denial – the tendency to move hurriedly on from acts of extreme violence, to obfuscate about the identities and motives of the perpetrators.”
Sir Keir cancelled his summer holiday and his spokesman said he remains on “high alert” for more potential unrest.
But the disorder appears to have petered out as dozens of people have now been charged with offences relating to riots and looting.
Two 12-year-old boys are the youngest people to admit to violent disorder during the unrest, appearing in court yesterday over separate incidents in Manchester and Southport.
Today in London Michael Mongan, 39, from Ealing, was set to be sentenced for racially abusing a bus driver and spitting at his cab during unrest in the capital.
A tenth person has been charged by detectives investigating violent disorder in Bristol city centre.
Joseph Bradford, 20, of Bishopsworth, Bristol, was charged with violent disorder following an incident on August 3.
