Latest news with #SajidJavid
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Taskforce launched to tackle root causes of UK riots
An independent commission aimed at tackling community divisions across Britain in the aftermath of last summer's riots will hold its first meeting on cross-party body, led by former Tory home secretary Sir Sajid Javid and Labour MP Jon Cruddas, says it will examine what Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last year called the "cracks in our foundation" and has support from across the political aims to develop "evidence-based" recommendations for a stronger, more connected sense of community across the Sajid said ministers have only responded to challenges to community cohesion "when tensions spill over, and too often ignoring the root causes". Did social media fan the flames of riot in Southport?MPs reject two-tier policing claims in 2024 riots Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands Sir Andy Street, and former counter-extremism tsar Dame Sara Khan are also among its Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion was announced after the summer riots last year which hit parts of the country last year following the Southport stabbings. False information spread on social media about the identity of the attacker, later found to be 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was widely seen as playing a role in fuelling the disturbances, which saw mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers targeted, were denounced at the time as "far-right thuggery" by Sir recent weeks, there has also been unrest in parts of Northern Ireland, where police have said some of it has been racially motivated. The commission said a UK-wide "national conversation" will be launched this autumn, to hear directly from people across the country about how they experience connection and belonging and what they want to see panel will have representation from all four nations of the UK and people from different faiths and is being facilitated by the Together Coalition founded by Brendan Cox, the husband of the Labour MP Jo Cox who was murdered by a far-right not officially government-sponsored, the commission is being supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.A spokesperson for the department said: "We are supportive of the work that the Together Coalition is undertaking, and we look forward to following the commission's progress".
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Javid: Immigration failures have made Britain a tinderbox
Failure to tackle the migrant crisis has played a part in Britain becoming a 'tinderbox of division', Sir Sajid Javid has said. In his first major intervention since standing down from the Commons last month, the former chancellor warned communal life was now 'under threat like never before'. Sir Sajid and Jon Cruddas, the former Labour MP, will co-chair a new Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion that meets for the first time on Wednesday. The commission, launched in response to the riots that followed the Southport attacks last summer, will make policy recommendations which aim to strengthen communities. Sir Sajid told The Telegraph: 'Communal life in Britain is under threat like never before and intervention is urgently needed. 'There have been long-term, chronic issues undermining connections within our communities for several decades now, such as the degradation of local infrastructure from the local pub to churches, the weakening of family units, growing inequality, declining trust in institutions and persistent neglect from policy-makers. 'In more recent years, new threats like the mismanagement of immigration, cost of living pressures and social media driven extremism, have begun to turn this crisis of social disconnection into an acute threat of social division.' Sir Sajid went on to warn that those issues were now 'converging into something dangerous', adding: 'The country is now sitting on a tinderbox of disconnection and division.' Net migration reached almost 906,000 people in June 2023, while small boat Channel crossings this year are currently at a record high. During his tenure as secretary of state for communities, Sir Sajid said in 2016 that too many people in the UK were living 'parallel lives'. Asked if he still believed this was the case almost a decade on, he replied: 'Yes. I am worried that we are more disconnected as a country than at any other point in our modern history, and that we are far more divided than any of us wants to be... 'As a nation, we have struggled to maintain the connections we once had. There is a pandemic of loneliness that has spread across the country, driving disconnection and that has been put on steroids by social media.' Sir Sajid added issues of integration had not been dealt with fully by 'successive governments' and said political correctness was partly to blame. 'Certainly that is partly due to political correctness and anxieties around being seen to cause offence,' he said. 'But it's also due to a lack of clear policy options – which this commission intends to address – and because this has been a slow creeping crisis that has not received the focus or attention that it should have done. 'Short-term crises, such as the findings of the grooming gangs inquiry, or the riots last summer and those in recent weeks in Northern Ireland, have all laid bare the fragility of community cohesion in this country today. 'All offer a stark warning of what happens when these questions go unaddressed.' Striking a more optimistic note about Britain's future, Sir Sajid said Britain had the 'phenomenal attributes' that it needs to rise to its social challenges. He concluded that the work of the commission will seek to 'build a vision for communities across the nation that all British citizens can buy into.' Sir Sajid and Mr Cruddas will join 19 commissioners from across the political spectrum, spanning academia, business, civil society, the media and religious groups. Prominent members include Lord Bilimoria, a cross-bench peer and former president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), and Dame Sara Khan, the former counter-extremism commissioner.
Glasgow Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Cross-party body seeks to tackle divisions in wake of 2024 summer riots
The cross-party body, led by former Tory home secretary Sir Sajid Javid and Labour MP Jon Cruddas, says it will seek to examine what the Prime Minister last year called the 'cracks in our foundation'. It has support from across the political spectrum, including the backing of Sir Keir Starmer's Government. The group will develop a series of evidence-based recommendations for measures to build more social cohesion across the four nations. Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands Sir Andy Street, and former counter-extremism tsar Dame Sara Khan are among its members. Sir Sajid Javid served in the cabinets of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson (PA) Sir Sajid, who served in the Cabinets of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, said successive administrations had treated social cohesion as a 'second-tier' issue. He said governments had responded 'only when tensions spill over and too often ignoring the root causes.' 'This commission has been established to do what governments alone cannot: take a long view, propose radical policy changes and — crucially — help forge a cross-society consensus about how we want to live together now and in the future,' Sir Sajid said. Former veteran Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham Mr Cruddas said the commission would seek to respond to one of 'the most pressing and persistently neglected issues' facing Britain. He said: 'This won't be a top-down exercise. Over the next year, we'll be listening directly to people across the UK – drawing on their experiences to help shape practical, long-term answers to the forces pulling us apart.' The commission is being facilitated by the Together Coalition founded by Brendan Cox, the husband of the Labour MP Jo Cox who was murdered by a far-right extremist. It was established in the aftermath of a wave of violent disorder that swept across parts of the UK last summer following the Southport stabbings. False information spread on social media about the identity of the attacker, later found to be 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was widely seen as playing a role in fuelling the unrest. The disturbances, which saw mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers targeted, were denounced at the time as 'far-right thuggery' by Prime Minister Sir Keir. Although not officially Government-sponsored, the commission is being supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. A spokesperson for the ministry said: 'We want to put an end to community division, which is why we are driving £15 million into towns and cities across the country through the Community Recovery Fund. 'This will provide vital support to areas affected by recent unrest – such as £5.6 million for Southport to help rebuild the town. 'We are supportive of the work that the Together Coalition is undertaking, and we look forward to following the commission's progress.'
North Wales Chronicle
25-06-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Cross-party body seeks to tackle divisions in wake of 2024 summer riots
The cross-party body, led by former Tory home secretary Sir Sajid Javid and Labour MP Jon Cruddas, says it will seek to examine what the Prime Minister last year called the 'cracks in our foundation'. It has support from across the political spectrum, including the backing of Sir Keir Starmer's Government. The group will develop a series of evidence-based recommendations for measures to build more social cohesion across the four nations. Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands Sir Andy Street, and former counter-extremism tsar Dame Sara Khan are among its members. Sir Sajid, who served in the Cabinets of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, said successive administrations had treated social cohesion as a 'second-tier' issue. He said governments had responded 'only when tensions spill over and too often ignoring the root causes.' 'This commission has been established to do what governments alone cannot: take a long view, propose radical policy changes and — crucially — help forge a cross-society consensus about how we want to live together now and in the future,' Sir Sajid said. Former veteran Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham Mr Cruddas said the commission would seek to respond to one of 'the most pressing and persistently neglected issues' facing Britain. He said: 'This won't be a top-down exercise. Over the next year, we'll be listening directly to people across the UK – drawing on their experiences to help shape practical, long-term answers to the forces pulling us apart.' The commission is being facilitated by the Together Coalition founded by Brendan Cox, the husband of the Labour MP Jo Cox who was murdered by a far-right extremist. It was established in the aftermath of a wave of violent disorder that swept across parts of the UK last summer following the Southport stabbings. False information spread on social media about the identity of the attacker, later found to be 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was widely seen as playing a role in fuelling the unrest. The disturbances, which saw mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers targeted, were denounced at the time as 'far-right thuggery' by Prime Minister Sir Keir. Although not officially Government-sponsored, the commission is being supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. A spokesperson for the ministry said: 'We want to put an end to community division, which is why we are driving £15 million into towns and cities across the country through the Community Recovery Fund. 'This will provide vital support to areas affected by recent unrest – such as £5.6 million for Southport to help rebuild the town. 'We are supportive of the work that the Together Coalition is undertaking, and we look forward to following the commission's progress.'
South Wales Guardian
25-06-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Cross-party body seeks to tackle divisions in wake of 2024 summer riots
The cross-party body, led by former Tory home secretary Sir Sajid Javid and Labour MP Jon Cruddas, says it will seek to examine what the Prime Minister last year called the 'cracks in our foundation'. It has support from across the political spectrum, including the backing of Sir Keir Starmer's Government. The group will develop a series of evidence-based recommendations for measures to build more social cohesion across the four nations. Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, ex-Tory mayor of the West Midlands Sir Andy Street, and former counter-extremism tsar Dame Sara Khan are among its members. Sir Sajid, who served in the Cabinets of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, said successive administrations had treated social cohesion as a 'second-tier' issue. He said governments had responded 'only when tensions spill over and too often ignoring the root causes.' 'This commission has been established to do what governments alone cannot: take a long view, propose radical policy changes and — crucially — help forge a cross-society consensus about how we want to live together now and in the future,' Sir Sajid said. Former veteran Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham Mr Cruddas said the commission would seek to respond to one of 'the most pressing and persistently neglected issues' facing Britain. He said: 'This won't be a top-down exercise. Over the next year, we'll be listening directly to people across the UK – drawing on their experiences to help shape practical, long-term answers to the forces pulling us apart.' The commission is being facilitated by the Together Coalition founded by Brendan Cox, the husband of the Labour MP Jo Cox who was murdered by a far-right extremist. It was established in the aftermath of a wave of violent disorder that swept across parts of the UK last summer following the Southport stabbings. False information spread on social media about the identity of the attacker, later found to be 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, was widely seen as playing a role in fuelling the unrest. The disturbances, which saw mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers targeted, were denounced at the time as 'far-right thuggery' by Prime Minister Sir Keir. Although not officially Government-sponsored, the commission is being supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. A spokesperson for the ministry said: 'We want to put an end to community division, which is why we are driving £15 million into towns and cities across the country through the Community Recovery Fund. 'This will provide vital support to areas affected by recent unrest – such as £5.6 million for Southport to help rebuild the town. 'We are supportive of the work that the Together Coalition is undertaking, and we look forward to following the commission's progress.'
