Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Thousands of riot police on standby as more far-right protests planned

Starmer said he expected “substantive sentencing before the end of this week” for the rioters.

Thousands of riot police on standby as more far-right protests planned

SUSPECTED far-right rioters appeared in court on Tuesday as the government prepared 6,000 specialist police officers to handle England's worst disorder in over a decade.

Far-right groups have planned demonstrations in more than 30 locations, with immigration lawyers and buildings hosting asylum seekers set to be the primary targets, according to posts on messaging app Telegram leaked to the British media.


Keir Starmer warned anyone involved would face "the full force of the law", including those inciting violence online.

Nearly 400 people have been arrested, and 100 have been charged over the week-long disturbances sparked by online misinformation about the murder of three children in a mass stabbing. Police are preparing for further possible violence.

Starmer said he expected "substantive sentencing before the end of this week" for the rioters, after chairing his second emergency meeting in as many days late Tuesday.

"That should send a very powerful message to anybody involved, either directly or online," the prime minister said in televised comments.

The unrest, Britain's worst since the 2011 London riots, has led several countries to warn their citizens about the dangers of travelling to the United Kingdom.

Rioting in several cities has involved demonstrators throwing bricks and flares at police officers, burning cars, and attacking mosques and at least two hotels used as accommodation for asylum seekers.

Scores of alleged perpetrators appeared before judges on Tuesday, with some entering guilty pleas.

A 19-year-old man became the first person to receive a prison sentence related to the unrest when he was sentenced to two months on Tuesday, PA Media reported. Another man was convicted after admitting to assaulting a police officer outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, northern England, on Sunday.

A 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder in Liverpool on Saturday after being identified from a TikTok video. A man in Leeds admitted posting threatening words on Facebook to stir up racial hatred.

The unrest began last Tuesday after three children were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, northwest England.

False rumours initially spread on social media, claiming the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. The suspect was later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, born in Wales. UK media reported that his parents are from Rwanda.

The government, only one month old, has vowed to take a tough line on the unrest. The National Police Chiefs' Council said on Monday that 378 people had been arrested so far.

"99.9 per cent of people across the country want their streets to be safe and to feel safe in their communities, and we will take all necessary action to bring the disorder to an end," Starmer said on Tuesday.

Justice minister Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4 that the government had freed up an extra 500 prison places and drafted in 6,000 specialist police officers to deal with the violence.

Police have blamed the disorder on people associated with the now-defunct English Defence League, a far-right Islamophobic organisation founded 15 years ago, whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism. The rallies have been advertised on far-right social media channels under the banner "Enough is enough."

Home secretary Yvette Cooper said there "will be a reckoning" for perpetrators, adding that social media put a "rocket booster" under the violence.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk escalated a dispute with the UK government on Tuesday by likening Britain to "the Soviet Union." A spokesperson for Starmer had said there was "no justification" for Musk's earlier comment that a British "civil war is inevitable."

The latest violence on Monday night saw rioters hurl bricks and fireworks in Plymouth, southern England, injuring several police officers. Officers in Belfast, Northern Ireland, were attacked as rioters attempted to set fire to a shop owned by a foreign national. Police said a man in his 30s was seriously assaulted and that they are treating the incident as a racially motivated hate crime.

A group of men who gathered in Birmingham, central England, to counter a rumoured far-right demonstration forced a Sky News reporter off air by shouting: "Free Palestine." She was then followed by a man in a balaclava holding a knife.

Kenya became the latest country to warn its citizens to be vigilant in Britain after Nigeria, Malaysia, Australia, and Indonesia issued alerts advising their nationals to stay away from the demonstrations.

(With inputs from AFP)

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less