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UK fears new summer of unrest, year after Southport riots

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2 hours ago

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UK fears new summer of unrest, year after Southport riots

Concern is mounting that recent violent anti-immigrant protests could herald a new summer of unrest, a year after the UK was rocked by its worst riots in decades. Police have arrested 16 people since protests flared last week outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in the town of Epping, northeast of London. In one demonstration, eight police officers were injured. The unrest was "not just a troubling one-off", said the chairwoman of the Police Federation, Tiff Lynch. "It was a signal flare. A reminder of how little it takes for tensions to erupt and how ill-prepared we remain to deal with it," she wrote in the Daily Telegraph. Protestors shouted "save our children" and "send them home", while banners called for the expulsion of "foreign criminals". Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds on Thursday urged people not to speculate or exaggerate the situation, saying "the government, all the key agencies, the police, they prepare for all situations. "I understand the frustrations people have," he told Sky News. The government was trying to fix the problem and that the number of hotels occupied by asylum seekers had dropped from 400 to 200, he added. The issue of thousands of irregular migrants arriving in small boats across the Channel, coupled with the UK's worsening economy, has triggered rising anger among some Britons. Such sentiments have been amplified by inflammatory messaging on social networks, fuelled by far-right activists. Almost exactly a year ago on July 29, 2024, three young girls were stabbed to death in a frenzied attack in northwestern Southport. The shocking killings stoked days of riots across the country after false reports that the killer -- a UK-born teenager whose family came to the country from Rwanda after the 1994 genocide -- was a migrant. Nearly 24,000 migrants have made the perilous journey across the Channel so far in 2025, the highest-ever tally at this point in a year. The issue has become politically perilous, putting pressure on Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer's centre-left government, as the anti-immigrant, far-right Reform UK party rises in the polls. - 'More unrest likely' - The Epping protests were stirred after a 38-year-old asylum seeker, who only arrived in Britain in late June, was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual assault. Images from the protests have gone viral on social networks, mirroring what happened last July. But Epping residents have maintained that the protests are being fuelled by people from outside the community. "These violent scenes ... are not Epping, and they are not what we stand for," the Conservative MP for Epping, Neil Hudson, told parliament Monday. While calm was restored to Epping, a middle-class suburban town with a population of 12,000, tensions remain palpable. "This is the first time something like this has happened," one local who lives close to the Bell Hotel told AFP, asking not to be named. "The issue is not the hotel, but extremists applying a political ideology," he added. Late on Thursday, the hotel, cordoned off behind barriers, was again the centre of a protest involving dozens of people, with police making one arrest. With another protest expected on Sunday, the local council voted through a motion to demand the government no longer house asylum seekers at the hotel. The UK is "likely to see more racist riots take place this summer", said Aurelien Mondon, politics professor and expert on far-right and reactionary discourse at Bath University. Anti-immigrant protests have already erupted elsewhere, with demonstrations in the southeastern town of Diss in Norfolk outside a similar hotel on Monday. Last month, clashes flared for several days in the town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland after two teenagers with Romanian roots were arrested for the alleged attempted rape of a young girl. - 'Civil disobedience' - "It is well documented that many of the protests we are witnessing are not the result of grassroots, local movements," Mondon said. "Social media plays a role and facilitates coordination amongst extreme-right groups," but it is "also crucial not to exaggerate" its power, he added. High-profile far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was blamed for stoking the Southport unrest, announced he would be in Epping on Sunday, before later seeming to scrap the plan. The firebrand anti-Islam campaigner has just been freed from jail after spreading fake news about a Syrian immigrant, but faces trial on a separate issue in 2026. "I don't think anybody in London even understands just how close we are to civil disobedience on a vast scale," said Reform leader Nigel Farage. "Most of the people outside that hotel in Epping weren't far right or far left," he said, they "were just genuinely concerned families". mct-ebl/jkb/jj/lb

Cash cards to pay for gluten-free food in UK first

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4 hours ago

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Cash cards to pay for gluten-free food in UK first

People in Wales who cannot eat gluten will be given debit-style cards preloaded with money to help pay for their food. The UK-first move, which begins later this year, will be an alternative to the current system where those with conditions such as coeliac disease - which affects about one in 100 people - get food on prescription from the pharmacy. Coeliac Cherylee Barker, 54, from Narberth, Pembrokeshire, took part in a pilot scheme and got £14 a month, which she said "scratches the surface of the cost". A Coeliac UK report said a gluten free diet added 35% to food bills and Health Minister Jeremy Miles said the Welsh government wanted to "de-medicalise the supply of gluten-free foods". The new card will work like a chip and Pin bank card and be taken in most places that sell gluten-free food, including supermarkets, shops, community pharmacies and online stores, according to the Welsh government. It would not say how much people will be given - just that it will vary by person and be regularly reviewed - or how much would be spent on the scheme. Ministers anticipate it will be "cost neutral" and not add any more to the NHS budget. The prescription model will still be available in Wales, which is similar to schemes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. High cost of gluten-free food labelled 'unfair' Call for better coeliac care after Weetabix death Coeliac patients may lose gluten-free prescription Those with coeliac disease cannot eat gluten as their immune system attacks their own tissues and their body cannot properly take in nutrients. It results in symptoms including bloating, vomiting and diarrhoea. There is also an added cost . with gluten-free food more expensive Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, the four leading supermarkets. The average price of a own brand loaf of bread was 63p, compared with £2.26 for a gluten-free equivalent. Supermarket penne pasta averaged 56p per 500g whereas the lowest gluten-free option averaged £1.22. Ms Barker has been part of the pilot scheme in the Hywel Dda health board area for the past five years. She gets £42 every three months, which equates to £14 a month, and described the previous prescription system as "slightly embarrassing" and the food "not that edible". She said: "I didn't want to take the money from the NHS. I thought 'just suck it up and see' but after a little while I just found it was just becoming more and more expensive. "It isn't a lifestyle choice, it is a need." Despite saying the card was "fantastic" she said the amount she got was only "scratching the surface" of rising costs for everybody, especially coeliacs. Bethan Williams, 24, from Cardiff, said prescriptions did not work for her as the food was low quality. As a vegetarian, she said the cash cards could give people with additional dietary needs the freedom to make healthy choices. "I am in a good position that I can afford the higher quality bread but that is not the case for all people," she said. "Eating food and being able to eat a balanced diet isn't a privilege, it's something everyone should be entitled to." For businesses such as Plumvanilla Cafe and deli in Narberth, which accepts the cash card, making sure they can serve the community's needs is becoming more necessary. Gemma Beere, who works at the cafe, said: "We've noticed more and more people shopping with gluten-free requirements so we like to keep a big stock." But she added it was a challenge balancing stocking the shelves with the high cost items and making sure nothing goes to waste. Miles said the move would cut "administrative burdens on GPs and pharmacies". He added: "For people living with coeliac disease, following a strict gluten-free diet is not a lifestyle choice but a medical necessity. "We want to de-medicalise the supply of gluten-free foods in Wales, giving people more freedom to access the food they want to eat, more conveniently, to help them to manage their condition." Tristen Humphreys from Coeliac UK said: "We need to recognise that a gluten-free diet is the treatment for coeliac disease, it's a serious autoimmune disease not a lifestyle choice – we want that recognised." He added supporting people's diets would help prevent health complications down the line and was "cost efficient" for the NHS and called on other UK nations to follow suit. Additional reporting by Sara Dafydd

Yahoo

7 hours ago

Yahoo

Cash cards to pay for gluten-free food in UK first

People in Wales who cannot eat gluten will be given debit-style cards preloaded with money to help pay for their food. The UK-first move, which begins later this year, will be an alternative to the current system where those with conditions such as coeliac disease - which affects about one in 100 people - get food on prescription from the pharmacy. Coeliac Cherylee Barker, 54, from Narberth, Pembrokeshire, took part in a pilot scheme and got £14 a month, which she said "scratches the surface of the cost". A Coeliac UK report said a gluten free diet added 35% to food bills and Health Minister Jeremy Miles said the Welsh government wanted to "de-medicalise the supply of gluten-free foods". The new card will work like a chip and Pin bank card and be taken in most places that sell gluten-free food, including supermarkets, shops, community pharmacies and online stores, according to the Welsh government. It would not say how much people will be given - just that it will vary by person and be regularly reviewed - or how much would be spent on the scheme. Ministers anticipate it will be "cost neutral" and not add any more to the NHS budget. The prescription model will still be available in Wales, which is similar to schemes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. High cost of gluten-free food labelled 'unfair' Call for better coeliac care after Weetabix death Coeliac patients may lose gluten-free prescription Those with coeliac disease cannot eat gluten as their immune system attacks their own tissues and their body cannot properly take in nutrients. It results in symptoms including bloating, vomiting and diarrhoea. There is also an added cost . with gluten-free food more expensive Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, the four leading supermarkets. The average price of a own brand loaf of bread was 63p, compared with £2.26 for a gluten-free equivalent. Supermarket penne pasta averaged 56p per 500g whereas the lowest gluten-free option averaged £1.22. Ms Barker has been part of the pilot scheme in the Hywel Dda health board area for the past five years. She gets £42 every three months, which equates to £14 a month, and described the previous prescription system as "slightly embarrassing" and the food "not that edible". She said: "I didn't want to take the money from the NHS. I thought 'just suck it up and see' but after a little while I just found it was just becoming more and more expensive. "It isn't a lifestyle choice, it is a need." Despite saying the card was "fantastic" she said the amount she got was only "scratching the surface" of rising costs for everybody, especially coeliacs. Bethan Williams, 24, from Cardiff, said prescriptions did not work for her as the food was low quality. As a vegetarian, she said the cash cards could give people with additional dietary needs the freedom to make healthy choices. "I am in a good position that I can afford the higher quality bread but that is not the case for all people," she said. "Eating food and being able to eat a balanced diet isn't a privilege, it's something everyone should be entitled to." For businesses such as Plumvanilla Cafe and deli in Narberth, which accepts the cash card, making sure they can serve the community's needs is becoming more necessary. Gemma Beere, who works at the cafe, said: "We've noticed more and more people shopping with gluten-free requirements so we like to keep a big stock." But she added it was a challenge balancing stocking the shelves with the high cost items and making sure nothing goes to waste. Miles said the move would cut "administrative burdens on GPs and pharmacies". He added: "For people living with coeliac disease, following a strict gluten-free diet is not a lifestyle choice but a medical necessity. "We want to de-medicalise the supply of gluten-free foods in Wales, giving people more freedom to access the food they want to eat, more conveniently, to help them to manage their condition." Tristen Humphreys from Coeliac UK said: "We need to recognise that a gluten-free diet is the treatment for coeliac disease, it's a serious autoimmune disease not a lifestyle choice – we want that recognised." He added supporting people's diets would help prevent health complications down the line and was "cost efficient" for the NHS and called on other UK nations to follow suit. Additional reporting by Sara Dafydd

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UK fears new summer of unrest, year after Southport riots

Cash cards to pay for gluten-free food in UK first

Cash cards to pay for gluten-free food in UK first

M5 closed while police investigate serious crash

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UK fears new summer of unrest, year after Southport riots

Cash cards to pay for gluten-free food in UK first

Cash cards to pay for gluten-free food in UK first

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