Politics latest: Tory leadership hopeful doubles down after criticism of 'outrageous' Allahu Akbar comments (2024)

Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, has posted to social media about his plans for tonight.

The backbencher says he will be going to a "solidarity protest" outside an asylum hotel "at possible risk from a mob of racists".

He added: "I'm proud to stand with my community here in Norwich - to stop violence - not start it.

"And to show the residents of the hotel they’re not alone."

There have been calls for people not to counter-protest - and let police manage any demonstrations.

The prime minister has warned anyone whipping up violence online will face the full force of the law.

But how does what is said online translate to violence in the streets?

Sky News'sdata and forensics correspondentTom Cheshire has been looking at the evidence.

The criticism keeps coming for Robert Jenrick after his comments about common Islamic saying "Allahu Akbar".

Speaking on Sky News this morning, the Tory leadership hopeful said those who shout the phrase - which means "God is great" - should be arrested immediately.

He has since doubled down on the remarks, claiming the phrase is used "aggressively" during "hate marches" on the streets of Britain.

Now Baroness Warsi, who was the first Muslim woman to serve in a British government cabinet under David Cameron, has accused him of "dog whistle" politics.

"There are two Roberts - the one that dog whistles and the one that then tries to pretend to reign it in because the dog whistle worked," she said.

'Populist rabble-rousing'

The Tory peer also pointed to Mr Jenrick's record as immigration minister, when he reportedly ordered murals of Disney characters be painted over at a child asylum centre in Kent.

"Robert needs to learn the difference between good decent political discussion and populist rabble-rousing," she added.

By Faye Brown, political reporter

Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has today knocked back accusations of "two-tier policing" as "complete nonsense".

He said such claims - pedalled online by Nigel Farage and Elon Musk - put officers dealing with the ongoing riots at risk.

The phrase is used to describe the impression that some protests and demonstrations are dealt with more harshly than others.

What are the origins of 'two-tier' policing?

The term has been used to suggest police are more heavy-handed with people on the right of the political spectrum than the left.

Even before the current rioting in the UK, the idea was propagated by the likes of English Defence League founderTommy Robinson, actor-turned political activist Laurence Fox, and former ex-minister Robert Jenrick.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage summed up the sentiment when he claimed that "ever since the soft policing of the Black Lives Matter protests, the impression of two-tier policing has become widespread".

'Difference between riot and protest'

However, critics of those who have used the term say there is a clear difference between legal protests and the riots, which has seen mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers attacked, police officers hospitalised, and shops smashed and looted.

One of the strongest rebukes came from Dame Priti Patel, who was home secretary during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.

She told Times Radio: "What we saw during the pandemic, we saw protest. We believe in free speech. We saw protests being policed.

"What we're seeing right now is thuggery and disorder and criminality. There is a complete distinction between the two."

What is the law on protests in the UK?

Protest is legal in the UK and the right to freedom of expression is also protected under the European Convention of Human Rights.

However, this only applies to peaceful protest and does not extend to any violence inflicted or damage caused during a protest.

As pointed out by Chris Hobbs, a former Special Branch officer writing for thePolice Oracle website, arrests have been made at pro-Palestinian protests when there has been suspected criminal offences, as has been the case during climate protests and BLM demonstrations.

One group that is familiar with getting arrested at the end of its demonstrations is Just Stop Oil.

The anti-fossil fuel movement has seen lengthy custodial sentences handed out to members after they tried to bring the M25 to a standstill.

Other activists were arrested on their way to disrupt Manchester Airport in the past few days, while some have targeted Gatwick and Heathrow.

Watch Just Stop Oil at Terminal 5:

'Violence is endangering communities'

But a spokesperson for the movement said today: "We recognise that the violence on our streets is endangering communities, particularly those of Muslims and people of colour.

"In accordance with our commitment to non-violence, we will not stretch police resources, such that they are unable to protect communities most at risk.

"Therefore, we are pausing our non-violent resistance until the immediate threats to safety have been dealt with appropriately."

Pollsters at YouGov have just published some recent research about what the public views as the country's most important issue.

The work was carried on Monday and Tuesday this week, and compared to the last collection of data in mid-July, with 2,163 people asked.

It found immigration is now the most critical issue to people - with 51% of the public saying it is a top problem for the UK, pipping the economy.

It marks the first time immigration has been the most stated answer since 2016, having risen by 10 percentage points since last month.

But concerns over crime have risen even further in the same period - by 19 points.

Now, 39% of people say it is a top issue facing the country, putting it as the third-highest topic and at its highest level since 2011.

Crime is of similar levels of concern across those of different political persuasion.

Immigration, however, is of more concern to Reform and Conservative voters.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has used the jailing of three people following disorder in Liverpool to warn others off rioting tonight.

Posting on social media, Sir Keir said: "This is the swift action we’re taking.

"If you provoke violent disorder on our streets or online, you will face the full force of the law."

We've reported police are aware of more than 100 events planned for tonight across the country.

Dozens of counter-protests are also expected.

Another Labour MP has come out to criticise Robert Jenrick's comments to Sky News earlier.

The Tory leadership hopeful has been criticised for his comments about the UK riots, echoing claims other protests aren't policed as heavily - and specifically for suggesting those who shout "Allahu Akbar" on the streets should face arrest.

Allahu Akbar is a common Islamic saying meaning "God is great".

Yasmin Qureshi, the Labour MP forBolton South and Walkden, said on social media the comments were "the kind of religious illiteracy and Islamophobia we've come to expect" from Mr Jenrick and "others who have spent years stoking up racial hatred".

She said such rhetoric was partly to blame for the riots.

Mr Jenrick has defended his comments (see previous post).

Robert Jenrick, the former Home Office minister, has sought to clarify what he meant earlier when speaking to Sky News.

At one point, while speaking about the demonstrations over the conflict in the Middle East, he said: "I thought it was quite wrong that somebody could shout Allahu Akhbar on the streets of London and not be immediately arrested."

In the past few minutes, Mr Jenrick has posted on social media.

He says the phrase is "spoken peacefully" by millions in the UK every day.

He also shares a video of a group of Asian men - some wearing masks - marching through Bolton, with the phrase "Allahu Akbar" being shouted.

The former minister said: "But the aggressive chanting below is intimidatory and threatening."

'All violence must end'

He says such behaviour is in breach of the Public Order Act, adding: "Extremists routinely abuse common expressions for their own shameful ends.

"All violence must end. All violence must be called out."

There is no visible violence in the video clip.

By Jenness Mitchell, Scotland reporter

Humza Yousaf, the former first minister of Scotland, has revealed the recent days of violent riots have left him unsure whether his family has a future in the UK.

Mr Yousaf - the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government and the first Muslim to lead a major UK party when he became SNP leader and Scotland's first minister in March 2023 - described the past week of unrest as "utterly horrendous".

Speaking to The News Agents podcast, Mr Yousaf said: "I'm about as Scottish as they come."

He added: "But the truth of the matter is, I don't know whether the future for me and my wife and my three children is going to be here in Scotland or the United Kingdom, or indeed in Europe and the West, because I have for some time really worried about the rise of Islamophobia."

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