Rishi Sunak says in Downing Street speech that extremist groups pose a growing threat to British democracy

Sunak says extremist groups pose growing threat to UK democracy

Rishi Sunak speaks outside No 10. He said there were growing threats to British democracy and made clear reference to the election of George Galloway in last night’s Rochdale by-election.

The Prime Minister spoke of tolerance in what he said was a “pluralistic, modern” country in the UK, but said that tolerance was under threat from people who wanted to exploit Hamas’ attacks on Israel and the resulting attacks on Gaza attacks to undermine British values.

He singled out Islamic extremists and the far-right, calling them “two sides of the same extremist coin.”

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Rishi Sunak claimed in a hastily issued statement from Downing Street hours after George Galloway won the Rochdale by-election that extremist groups in the UK were “trying to divide us”.
The Prime Minister condemned the “alarming increase in extremist destruction and criminal activity” following the October 7 massacre by Hamas and the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
He also claimed that democracy was a goal in itself as he condemned the election of Galloway, who easily won his Rochdale seat on a platform focused on anti-Israel sentiment in Gaza.
In a 10-minute speech that was at times rambling and seemingly contradictory, Sunak made points likely to anger conservatives such as Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick. Lawmakers on the right wing of the party, who have tried to blame recent tensions almost entirely on Islamic extremists.

This live blog is now closed.

Galloway said he did not understand the suggestion that he “glorified Hezbollah” and asked Sunak to discuss the matter with him

George Galloway said he did not understand Rishi Sunak’s suggestion to “glorify Hezbollah” but hoped they could discuss the issue on Wednesday if the Prime Minister “had the courage”.

Sunak said the newly elected Rochdale MP had “dismissed the horrific events of October 7”, “glorified Hezbollah” and “had the support of the racist former BNP leader Nick Griffin” support”.

“I take no responsibility for those who claim to support me… I have never met Mr Griffin and have no intention of meeting him,” Mr Galloway told Channel 5 News. “I don’t know what exactly he means by glorifying Hezbollah, but if he has the courage, maybe he can tell me at the Prime Minister’s Questions and Answers on Wednesday.”

Galloway added that he “hates extremism as much as he hates extremism” [Sunak]” and “also agreed with him that change can only be achieved through the democratic process.”

SNP MP Alison Thewliss accused the Tories of fomenting a culture war that has given rise to the very extremism Rishi Sunak says he wants to root out.

“The Conservatives are the architects of Britain’s culture war – a war that Rishi Sunak has been promoting throughout his time in office,” she said. “The Prime Minister has repeatedly and very deliberately sought to stoke division, pander to the far right and pit communities against each other for electoral gain.

“Whether it’s attacking refugees, insulting LGBT people or failing to expose the Islamophobic nature of Lee Anderson, this is an attempt to rewrite history and the people of Scotland have seen through it.

“If the Conservative government now wants to unite people, it must first change its divisive language and policy record. The best way for the people of Scotland to end these culture wars is to leave Scotland by voting for the SNP Conservative Party.”

Lib Dem leader says Tories have been sowing ‘seeds of division’ for years

The Lib Dem leader effectively accused Rishi Sunak of hypocrisy, saying the prime minister had “sowed the seeds of division for years” by promoting some Tory MPs who have made controversial comments.

Sir Ed Davey said: “The British people will learn no lessons from the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party who have sown the seeds of division for many years. “The Prime Minister appointed Suela Braverman as Home Secretary, appointed Lee Anderson is the party’s vice-president.

“If the Prime Minister really wanted to bring people together he would call a general election now so that the British public can decide the future of our country.”

Starmer says citizens have the right to conduct their own business without intimidation

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer appeared to back Sunak’s message calling for national unity.

He said in a statement: “The Prime Minister is right to advocate for unity and condemn the unacceptable and intimidating behavior we have seen recently. Defending our values and the common bonds that unite us is an important part of the leadership Task.

“Citizens have the right to do their jobs without intimidation, and elected representatives should be able to do their jobs and vote without fear or favor. This is something that all parties agree on and we should all defend.”

Sunak has recently been criticized by political opponents for failing to tackle “extremism” within the party. He made no mention of the controversy when speaking about the wider issue of extremism in the UK.

Sunak came closest to announcing some form of concrete action during his 10-minute speech, saying:

If we demand more from our police, our government must also back up that call with action. To this end, this month, the Government will implement a new, robust framework to deal with this issue to ensure that we are addressing the root causes of this problem and that no extremist group or individual is granted legitimacy. their actions and interactions with central government.

You cannot be part of our civic life. If your agenda is to dismantle it. We will redouble our support for prevention programs to prevent young people from being poisoned by extremism. We will demand that universities cease extremist activity on their campuses.

We will also take action to prevent those who seek to undermine its values from entering this country. The Home Secretary has instructed that if people on visas choose to spread hatred, protest or try to intimidate others, we will remove their right to be here.

Notably, while speaking in very general terms, Sunak explicitly identified “Islamists” and the “far right” as extremist threats to the UK, suggesting he may be looking to calm tensions across the board.

But when he singled out specific examples of behavior he considered unacceptable, he focused solely on pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He once said:

I respect the difficult job the police have in sustaining the protests we are seeing, and that they are acting independently. But we have to draw a line.

Yes, you can march and protest with passion. You can demand protection of civilian life. But no, you cannot call for violent jihad. Sending anti-Semitic tropes to Big Ben during a vote on Israel and Gaza is unacceptable. There is no justification you can use to justify supporting a banned terrorist organization like Hamas.

Yes, you are free to criticize the actions of this government – or indeed any government – and that is a basic democratic right. But no, you cannot use this as an excuse to call for the elimination of a country or any form of hatred or anti-Semitism.

This week I met with senior police officers and made it clear that the public expects them not just to manage these protests but to police them. I said this to the police. When you take action, we’ll support you.

During his time as chancellor, Sunak devoted much of his political energy to cracking down on incoming migrants, conflating them with people seeking asylum. However, he spoke at length in his speech about how immigration benefits the country.

Britain is a patriotic, liberal and democratic society with a proud past and a bright future. We are a reasonable country and a decent people. Our story is one of great achievement and progress of enduring values.

Immigrants who have come here have integrated and contributed. They help us write the latest chapter of the island’s story. They did this without being asked to give up their identities.

You can be a devout Hindu and proud British, like me, or a devout Muslim and patriotic citizen, like many, or a loyal Jew and at the heart of your local community.

And this is all based on the tolerance of our established Christian church. We are a nation that loves our neighbours, and we are building Britain together.

Sunak says Galloway victory ‘shocking’

Sunak said Galloway’s victory was “shocking”. He once said:

In recent weeks and months, we have seen an alarming increase in extremist disruption and criminal activity. What started as street protests have turned into intimidation, threats and systematic violence.

Jewish children were afraid to wear school uniforms for fear of revealing their identity. Muslim women are abused on the streets due to the actions of terrorist groups they have nothing to do with.

Our democracy is now a goal in itself. Parliamentary meetings and local events came under fierce attack. Lawmakers don’t feel safe in their homes. Longstanding parliamentary conventions were overturned due to security concerns.

Shockingly, last night’s Rochdale by-election elected a candidate who dismisses the horrors of October 7, glorifies Hezbollah and has the support of a racist, BNP ex- Supported by leader Nick Griffin.

Sunak says extremist groups pose growing threat to UK democracy

Rishi Sunak speaks outside No 10. He said there were growing threats to British democracy and made clear reference to the election of George Galloway in last night’s Rochdale by-election.

He singled out Islamic extremists and the far-right, calling them “two sides of the same extremist coin.”

The prime minister is due to speak in parliament at 5.45pm GMT, after the speaker changed a parliamentary session last week due to concerns about MPs’ safety.

Concerns have grown in recent months about lawmakers being targeted by demonstrators, particularly those calling for an end to the fighting in Gaza.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle last week decided to overturn the parliamentary assembly to vote on Labour’s amendment to the SNP’s Gaza motion, citing security concerns.

The Prime Minister spoke after George Galloway won the Rochdale by-election on Friday on a pro-Palestinian stance.

There will be a live stream at the top of this blog. You may need to refresh the file to see it.

Rishi Sunak to deliver Downing Street speech on ‘Need to protect democratic process’

Rishi Sunak plans to make a public address in Downing Street on Friday evening, No 10 officials said.

Downing Street said in a statement: “The Prime Minister’s speech will address recent events, including those in Parliament last week, and the need to protect our democratic processes.”