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The Independent
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Angela Rayner's critique of Labour's performance is short on solutions
Angela Rayner has a reputation for being forthright – and, according to the 'readout' of the last cabinet meeting before the summer recess, she has had some punchy things to say to her colleagues about the state of the nation. Reflecting on the riots that swept the country after the Southport tragedy almost a year ago, Ms Rayner is blunt about the government's collective performance. The official summary, itself a bowlderised version of her remarks, records her comprehensive critique about the causes of the civil unrest: 'Economic insecurity, the rapid pace of de-industrialisation, immigration and the impacts on local communities and public services, technological change and the amount of time people were spending alone online, and declining trust in institutions was having a profound impact on society.' Those factors were certainly at play in the riots last July, and are still in evidence now, notably in Epping, the Essex market town where an asylum seeker has been charged with sexual assault. There have since been signs of trouble at another hotel requisitioned by the Home Office for migrant accommodation, in Diss in Norfolk. As has been noted, these are the kind of 'tinderbox' conditions that the authorities need to treat with great care, and which have already resulted, in the case of Epping, in agitators turning up, and in unjustified attacks on the police. Ms Rayner is right to confront her colleagues, and indeed her own department, responsible as it is for 'communities', about the frustrations felt by the public and the widespread disaffection that will continue to build unless the government 'delivers' some tangible evidence of the 'change' in their lives promised by Labour at the last general election. This is most obviously so over immigration, though not confined to it, and the slow progress in 'smashing the gangs', ending the use of hotels to house migrants, and clearing the backlog of claims the government inherited. Where Ms Rayner may be faulted is in making such concerns so public at such a sensitive time – in the context of a palpable sense of unrest and the threat of another round of summer rioting. That is the context of her words. Obviously, she has no intention of having her implicit warnings about more riots be in any way a self-fulfilling prophecy, let alone inciting non-peaceful protest, but that may well be their practical effect. The timing of what she said is unfortunate and clumsy. At a moment when Nigel Farage – who is shameless about exploiting grievances – is stirring things up with overheated claims that 'we're actually facing, in many parts of the country, nothing short of societal collapse ' – this is no time to be adding to the sense of unease. With no sense of irony, given the tacit encouragement Mr Farage offers to the protesters, the Reform UK leader talks about 'lawless Britain' where 'criminals don't particularly respect the police and they're acting in many cases with total impunity'. The Essex police, faced as they are with an impossible job of controlling a mob and in enforcing the law impartially as it stands, will not have thanked Mr Farage for his words. Still less will they welcome Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who intends to descend on Epping in the coming days, with all that entails. Ms Rayner ought not to be adding her voice to these sorts of tensions. The other, wider criticism of Ms Rayner's reported assessment is that she is long on analysis but short on solutions. She rightly says that Britain is a 'successful, multi-ethnic, multi-faith country', and that 'the government had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns and provide opportunities for everyone to flourish'. For her part, she is going to produce her own Plan for Neighbourhoods, but she must also take her share of the blame – there is no better word – for the government's collective failure to create a sense that it has a cohesive plan or programme for government to solve the various challenges she identifies. One year on, there is still a sense that the government lacks a 'narrative' of what it is doing and why. People wish to see progress and understand how the sacrifices they make in paying higher taxes will prove worth it. The tangled web of 'missions', 'tasks' and 'priorities' that Sir Keir Starmer weaved as he entered government last year has not so much unravelled as been forgotten. Irregular migration, stagnant living standards, the public finances and the NHS, again facing renewed and deeply damaging industrial action, are intractable challenges that successive governments have been defeated by, and they will inevitably take time and resources to improve. The public needs to be reassured about that. As Ms Rayner indicates: 'It is incumbent on the government to acknowledge the real concerns people have and to deliver improvements to people's lives and their communities.' The good news for Sir Keir, Ms Rayner and their colleagues is that, riots or not, they still have three to four years to show that this Labour government works. If not, then they know how disastrous the consequences could be, because they were inflicted on the Conservatives not so long ago.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Address immigration concerns or face more riots, Rayner tells Starmer
Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has warned the government that the UK faces a repeat of last year's summer riots unless it addresses public concerns. She cited economic insecurity, immigration, increased online engagement, and declining trust in institutions as key factors contributing to potential unrest. Ms Rayner said that 17 of the 18 places most affected by last summer's disorder, in the wake of the Southport murders, were among the most deprived areas in the UK. Her warning follows recent violent protests in Epping, Essex, over an asylum hotel, which a local Conservative MP said has put the community 'at boiling point'. It is understood that Ms Rayner has been working on a community cohesion project for some time in the wake of the riots almost a year ago.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Rayner warns Starmer UK faces another summer of riots if Labour fails to deliver
Angela Rayner has issued an ultimatum to Sir Keir Starmer, warning that the UK faces a repeat of last year's summer riots unless 'the government shows it can address people's concerns'. In a dramatic intervention in the final cabinet meeting before the summer recess, the deputy prime minister said economic insecurity, immigration, the increasing time people spend online, and declining trust in institutions were having a 'profound impact on society'. She warned ministers that it was 'incumbent on the government to acknowledge the real concerns people have and to deliver improvements to people's lives in their communities' amid growing concerns that there could be a repeat of the unrest that scarred communities in the wake of the Southport murders last year. Her words come days after violent protests broke out in Epping, Essex, over an asylum hotel, which has put the community 'at boiling point', according to local Tory MP Neil Hudson. Calling on the government to deliver improvements to people's lives, Ms Rayner noted that 17 of the 18 places that saw the worst of the disorder last summer ranked at the top of the most deprived. She added that 'while Britain was a successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith country, the government had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns and provide opportunities for everyone to flourish'. The deputy prime minister highlighted her own Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)'s Plan for Neighbourhoods would deliver billions of pounds of investment over ten years in hundreds of the most deprived places, 'to restore pride in people's local areas and improve people's lives'. It is understood that she has been working on a community cohesion project for some time in the wake of the riots almost a year ago. Concerns have been raised over the way that Reform UK and Nigel Farage have sympathised with protesters around the Bell Hotel, in Epping, which houses asylum seekers. The intervention also comes as Ms Rayner's position in the government has been strengthened in recent weeks after she played a pivotal role in negotiating a deal with Labour rebels to prevent defeat on the welfare reforms. While she has repeatedly denied wanting to be prime minister, she is regularly discussed as the favourite to take over from Sir Keir if he is forced out as a result of poor elections in May next year. She is also expected to get an official Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in any government reshuffle after the summer. Responding to Ms Rayner, the prime minister's official spokesman said he was 'focused on taking action to ensure that we address people's concerns, people's very legitimate concerns'. 'And we start by acknowledging that those concerns are legitimate, and we start by dealing with the underlying causes of those concerns,' they added. Meanwhile, as violent scenes have continued in Epping, local Conservative MP, Neil Hudson, warned that outside groups are stoking up trouble. He said: 'People quite rightly have the right to peaceful protest, but these violent scenes are not us, they are not Epping, and they are not what we stand for. It is deeply disturbing that people from outside Epping are coming to these protests not to support the real concerns of our local community, but to disrupt and cause violence.' But he warned: 'This is a crisis that is boiling over, and for the safety of our community, the government must get a grip on this situation now, and they must listen and act quickly to close the hotel. I continue to call on the government to immediately close the Bell Hotel.'
The Independent
28-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Domestic violence charity issues stark warning over welfare cuts
A new report warns that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's controversial welfare cuts will deepen economic insecurity for disabled women and increase their vulnerability to abuse. Campaigners, including domestic violence charity Refuge and the Women's Budget Group, say that cuts to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for new claimants will make it harder for disabled women to escape abusive relationships. Despite government concessions to protect existing PIP claimants, the reforms are still expected to disproportionately affect women due to stricter eligibility rules for future claimants. Charities argue that restricting financial resources for disabled survivors could leave thousands trapped with abusers, undermining the government's commitment to halve violence against women and girls. The welfare changes are set to be implemented for new claimants from November 2026.
Times
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Britons feel detached from society and distrustful of strangers
Britons feel disconnected from society, wary of other people and worried about community tensions, according to a survey. A poll of more than 13,000 British adults found that 50 per cent said they felt disengaged and 44 per cent said that they sometimes felt like a stranger in their own country. Sir Keir Starmer argued last week that Britain risked becoming an 'island of strangers' if immigration numbers did not decrease. The poll by the organisation More In Common suggested, however, that the reasons for feelings of detachment went beyond immigration and culture. It found that 47 per cent of British Asians felt like a stranger in their country compared with 44 per cent of white Britons. Economic insecurity was most closely related to alienation,
