Former home secretary Priti Patel today blasted Nigel Farage‘s claim that there is an impression of ‘two-tier policing’ in Britain.
The Tory leadership candidate dismissed the Reform UK leader’s remarks as ‘not correct’ and ‘not relevant’ as she condemned ongoing ‘thuggery’ across the country.
She hit out after Mr Farage issued a fresh response to the outbreak of rioting in the wake of the Southport stabbing attack, having faced a fierce backlash over previous comments.
The Clacton MP said he was ‘totally appalled’ by the violence and suggested the army should be called in if the situation deteriorates further.
But Mr Farage added that ‘deeper long-term problems remain’ and claimed the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 had left an impression of ‘two-tier policing’.
A narrative of ‘politicised’ or ‘two-tier policing’ has been pushed by far-right figures, including England Defence League founder Tommy Robinson.
Former home secretary Priti Patel today blasted Nigel Farage ‘s claim that there is an impression of ‘two-tier policing’ in Britain
The Tory leadership candidate dismissed the Reform UK leader’s remarks as ‘not correct’ and ‘not relevant’ as she condemned ongoing ‘thuggery’ across the country
Riot police officers are pictured pushing back masked men outside the Holiday Inn Express hotel, which is housing asylum seekers, in Rotherham
In a social media post, Mr Farage wrote: ‘Ever since the soft policing of the Black Lives Matter protests, the impression of two-tier policing has become widespread.
‘The Prime Minister’s faltering attempts to address the current crisis have only added to that sense of injustice.’
But, speaking to Times Radio, Dame Priti – who was in charge of the Home Office between 2019 to 2022 – said there was a ‘stark difference’ between previous protests and the violent riots of the past week.
‘I’ve seen the statement and the comments that he has made, particularly about the Black Lives Matter protest, which, by the way, took place during the pandemic when we had a range of restrictions around protest,’ the former home secretary said.
‘There’s a clear difference between effectively blocking streets or roads being closed to burning down libraries, hotels, food banks and attacking places of worship. What we have seen is thuggery, violence, racism.
‘Those kinds of comments are simply not relevant right now. That is not correct. It is not correct.
‘There’s a stark difference between what we’ve been seeing over the last week. Over the last week we saw the most appalling stabbings in Southport.
‘Horrific crimes being committed. We’ve seen violence and thuggery on the streets.
‘What we saw during the pandemic, we saw protest. We believe in free speech. We saw protests that were being policed.
‘What we’re seeing right now is thuggery and disorder and criminality. There is a complete distinction between the two.’
Mr Farage is continuing to face a backlash for his remarks immediately after last Monday’s attack in Southport, which left three girls dead, when he suggested the facts of the incident were being withheld from the public.
Dame Priti said politicians need to make sure they are ‘fully informed’ before commenting on issues on social media.
‘As we’ve seen, and as BJ Harrington, the Chief Constable of Essex, the national police lead for public order, has said very clearly, a lot of what we have seen is down to misinformation and social media,’ she added.
‘It is irresponsible to just look at what we see on X or other social media platforms and then effectively say ‘Oh, it’s all down to, you know, comments like this that have been put out on social media, that’s got the full facts’ – it does not.
‘We have to, as elected politicians, always be careful, number one in the language that we use but ensure that we are as fully informed as we can possibly be before commenting on the situation.’
Asked directly whether Mr Farage was wrong to suggest the facts about Southport were being withheld from the public, Dame Priti said his comments were ‘a matter for him’.
Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, has called for ‘urgent action’ from the House of Commons standards watchdog for Mr Farage to be held ‘to account’ for his remarks.
