Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Suella Braverman vows full force of law against Leicester 'thuggery'

I will do everything I can to support communities and our police, says home secretary

Suella Braverman vows full force of law against Leicester 'thuggery'

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has met with local police officers and Hindu and Muslim community leaders in Leicester and assured them that thugs behind recent violent clashes would face the full force of the law.

During a visit to the eastern England city on Thursday, the Indian-origin Cabinet minister was briefed by the Leicestershire Police chief and also leaders from local temples and mosques on the “serious disorder” which has resulted in 47 arrests. The disorder came as tensions since an India-Pakistan cricket match at the end of last month continued to spill over into this weekend.


“I met with Leicestershire Police officers, the Temporary Chief Constable for Leicestershire and local community leaders to discuss action being taken to protect local residents and restore safety and harmony in Leicester,” Braverman tweeted after her visit.

“We'll work together on this, and I will do everything I can to support communities and our police. Those who bring disorder and thuggery to our streets will face the full force of the law and I thank all those brave police officers for keeping us safe,” she said.

With reference to reports of a protest by masked men outside a temple in Birmingham earlier this week, the Home Secretary said she had also spoken to the local West Midlands Police chief and that the situation there continues to be monitored.

“I also spoke to Dave Thompson, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police today. I continue to monitor the situation and thank the police for their expert handling,” she said.

Her intervention follows several appeals from within the local community and parliamentarians to take action against extremist elements behind the clashes.

“These targeted attacks were by Islamist extremists and have understandably generated a vast amount of fear, harm and disruption to the wider Hindu community across the UK,” said Bob Blackman, Conservative Party MP Chair of the All Paty Parliamentary Group (APPG) of British Hindus, in his letter to Braverman.

Lord Dolar Popat, also from the APPG of British Hindus, called on the minister to engage with the group in order to de-escalate matters.
“Let us not let a minority of people destroy the progress we have made and that have chosen to attack not only Hindu values but British values of being inclusive and championing religious freedom,” his letter reads.

Earlier, the Indian High Commission in London had strongly condemned the “violence perpetrated against the Indian community in Leicester and vandalisation of premises and symbols of Hindu religion”.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also raised similar concerns during a meeting with his UK counterpart, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

Meanwhile, Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby has indicated plans for an independent review into the circumstances behind the weekend's violence.

“My intention is to have a review of what led up to the events at the weekend, and also to seek some independent thoughts on how we all – council, police and communities – can learn from this, and what we can do at a local level to ensure it doesn't happen again," Soulsby told the BBC.

It comes as the Leicestershire Police continues to issue appeals for calm and also reassure the community amid preparations for Hindu festivals coming up.

“We are encouraging people to prepare for Navratri and Diwali as normal. A visible and strengthened police presence will be there for all communities,” the force said in a statement.

(PTI)

More For You

 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London. (Photo: Getty Images)

Post Office scandal linked to 13 suicides, says inquiry

Highlights:

 
     
  • Public inquiry finds up to 13 suicides linked to wrongful Post Office prosecutions.
  •  
  • Horizon IT system faults led to false accusations, financial ruin, and imprisonment.
  •  
  • Sir Wyn Williams says Post Office maintained a “fiction” of accurate data despite known faults.

A PUBLIC inquiry has found that up to 13 people may have taken their own lives after being wrongly accused of financial misconduct by the Post Office, in what is now described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK ramps up drought response following driest spring

The EA has begun conducting more compliance checks on high-usage industries

Getty Images

UK ramps up drought response following driest spring since 1893

Key points

  • Spring 2025 was England’s driest and warmest in over 130 years
  • Reservoirs across England only 77% full, compared to 93% average
  • Environment Agency increases monitoring and drought planning
  • North-west England officially declared in drought

Water conservation measures stepped up ahead of summer

The UK government has increased efforts to manage water resources after confirming that England experienced its driest and warmest spring since 1893. The Environment Agency (EA) reported that reservoirs were on average only 77% full, significantly lower than the usual 93% for this time of year.

The announcement came after a National Drought Group meeting on Thursday, which reviewed the impact of continued dry weather on crops, canal navigation, and river flows. Poor grass growth and dry soil conditions were noted as threats to food production and livestock feed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Norman Tebbit

Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Former minister, Thatcher ally Norman Tebbit dies at 94

Norman Tebbit, a close ally of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and a former Conservative Party cabinet minister, has died at the age of 94. His son William confirmed the news on Tuesday.

"At 11:15 pm on 7th July, 2025, Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94," William Tebbit said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Southport

Floral tributes left by members of the public are seen following the fatal knife attack on three young girls in July in Southport.

Reuters

Public inquiry begins into Southport girls' murders

A PUBLIC inquiry begins on Tuesday into the murders of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport last year.

The inquiry will examine whether the attack could have been prevented and how future incidents might be avoided.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Getty

Starmer is facing a Labour backbench revolt over plans to reform special needs support in schools without guaranteeing existing legal rights. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images)

Starmer faces Labour pushback over SEND reform plans

KEIR STARMER is facing a backlash from Labour MPs over plans to reform special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support, after ministers stopped short of guaranteeing legal rights for parents.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government was committed to reforming the current system, which costs £12 billion a year. However, she did not confirm if legally enforceable rights, such as those provided by education, health and care plans (EHCPs), would remain.

Keep ReadingShow less