Keir Starmer snubs Nigel Farage's demand with outrage growing over UK riot chaos

Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman has ruled out recalling parliament, ignoring the demands of multiple parties now calling for MPs to return to Westminster amid the ongoing rioting.

Speaking to journalists this lunchtime, the spokesman did not rule out recalling parliament entirely, but said that the Government is not considering such a move at present.

He added that their focus is on ensuring "that communities are kept safe, to ensure that people who have participated in this violent disorder face the full force of the law”.

The move will infuriate opposition parties, with both Priti Patel and Nigel Farage now demanding that an emergency debate on the riots be held and MPs' holidays be kiboshed.

This morning former Home Secretary Priti Patel wrote to Sir Keir, Yvette Cooper and Leader of the Commons Lucy Powell, demanding a recall.

She demanded: "Parliament and the public need reassurances about the steps the Government and Law and order agencies are taking to restore order to our streets and to deal with those responsible for the violence, and the House of Commons is the forum where this shold take place".

"In view of these circumstances, I trust you will consider making the necessary arrangements with the Speaker of the House of Commons to enable it to be recalled."

Nigel Farage similarly called for a "more honest debate about these vital issues and give people the confidence that there are political solutions that are relevant to them. A recall of Parliament would be an appropriate start to this".

However Mr Farage was warned this morning by a Labour MP that if parliament were recalled his words over the past week will be squarly in the firing line.

Middlesborough MP Andy McDonald blasted: "If Parliament is recalled I could see the justification for it, because there are certain voices in the chamber who need to answer for all the incitement and the fomenting of hatred and division over many many years".

"They've succeeded, they've got what they want, but I've got a message for them: we will win, we will prevail, they will not."

Asked if this was a message for Nigel Farage and Lee Anderson, Mr McDonald freely admitted: "It's a direct message to those two people, they have been at this for such a long time, stirring up racial hatred".

"These people are complete racists and they'll be exposed as such continually over the next several weeks and months.

"We cannot allow their warped views to prevail in our country and they have to understand that absolutely clearly. We are not going to tolerate this."

The snubbing came shortly after Sir Keir wrapped up a meeting of COBRA, something he did for the first time nearly a week after the riots began.

He had been facing widespread criticism over his handling of the rioting epidemic,

Following the emergency Cobra meeting, Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said that the Justice Secretary had confirmed that there is enough capacity in the prison system to lock up anyone involved in the riots that we’ve seen over the weekend.

“There are also processes and protocols in place between the police and the prison service to manage a short-term influx of people being held on remand.

“But more broadly, it’s exactly why the Government has taken the necessary measures to tackle prison overcrowding, in order to ensure that in incidents like we’ve seen over the past week, we are able to lock people up who are causing disorder on our streets.”