Riots sweeping UK cannot be allowed to escalate, Truss warns
Former prime minister Liz Truss has urged Sir Keir Starmer to ensure swift action is taken to prevent future aggression on the streets of Britain.
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Your support makes all the difference.Liz Truss has said riots in the UK ācannot be allowed to escalateā as she condemned the āappalling violenceā.
More violence was experienced across the streets of England and Northern Ireland, with the former prime minister using her Edinburgh Festival Fringe appearance to demand police have the ability to act āwithout fear or favourā to prevent further aggression.
She said current prime minister Sir Keir Starmer should hold daily Cobra meetings to get a handle on the situation.
However, she also addressed illegal immigration during the All Talk with Iain Dale fringe event, accusing the UK Government of sending the āwrong messageā by scrapping the Rwanda scheme.
Speaking during the event, which was hosted by LBC presenter Matthew Stadlen, she said: āI completely condemn the appalling violence and I am shocked to see what we are seeing happening on the streets of Britain.ā
She added: āNobody should be condoning that type of violence or the attacks on the Muslim or Jewish communities. Itās shocking and appalling and it needs to be dealt with in the firmest possible way.ā
She said Sir Keir needs to be āabsolutely clear that the police will act without fear or favour towards anybody committing violence anywhere in our country.ā
āThis situation cannot be allowed to escalate,ā she said.
Sir Keir vowed to āramp up criminal justiceā after an emergency Cobra meeting was called on Monday one week on from the Southport stabbings in the wake of a sixth day of disorder which saw rioters storm hotels housing asylum seekers.
During the same event in Edinburgh, Ms Truss said the current levels of legal migration were ātoo highā, arguing the economy had become too reliant on overseas workers.
However, she also argued the Labour Government was moving in the wrong direction in its efforts to tackle illegal immigration.
Sir Keir scrapped the previous administrationās Rwanda scheme, instead pledging to crack down on smuggler gangs who facilitate small boat crossings over the English Channel.
She said: āAs foreign secretary I looked at lots of different options for what we could do, but the fact is that under the law, if somebody arrives as an illegal asylum seeker, you need somewhere for that person to be able to go, otherwise you become a magnet for asylum seekers.
āThese are not easy things to sort out but I think Keir Starmer has sent the wrong message by immediately cancelling the Rwanda policy and having no alternative.ā
The UK Government has been asked for comment.