UK riots: Keir Starmer refuses to outright condemn Birmingham Palestine mob attacks

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have refused to specifically condemn acts of violence in Birmingham as the row over alleged two-tier policing system continues.

Express.co.uk contacted Number 10 and the Home Office this morning to ask if the two leaders would specifically condemn scenes in Birmingham yesterday when a mob of Palestine flag waving men were filmed attacking a lone man outside a pub and surrounding a car which had a window smashed.

There were similar scenes in Middlesbrough on Sunday when groups of men beat a man on the ground with sticks and others were seen with machetes on the streets.

Sir Keir and Ms Cooper have rightly condemned the atrocious acts of violence carried out by far right thugs in towns and cities across the country over the past nine days, when mosques and asylum accommodation has been targeted.

Express.co.uk asked for comments from both leading politicians about yesterday's events in Birmingham earlier today.

The Home Office, speaking for Ms Cooper, referred us to Number 10 who vowed to get a reply from the Prime Minister.

But, we were later referred to comments made by Mr Starmer during a Cabinet meeting today which made no mention of Birmingham and didn't address our questions.

He said: "When I went to Southport I spoke to police who described what it was like to attend the mass stabbing of little girls and then to be back on duty the next day in riot gear, having bricks thrown at them.

“This is something no one would have ever wanted to see and we need to be calling it out for what it is. It is not protest. It is violent disorder and needs to be treated as such, as criminal activity.

“99.9 percent of people across the country want their streets to be safe and to feel safe in their communities, and we will take all necessary action to bring the disorder to an end.”

Number 10 also said that the Prime Minister said that we must and will show those who are involved – in person and online – that they will feel the full force of the law and be subject to swift justice. The Prime Minister spoke also about the standing army of special duty public officers that are ready to be deployed across the country to tackle any emerging disorder.

The Home Secretary gave an update on the latest situation and the current operational response, condemning the disgraceful scenes of crime and thuggery at sites including the Liverpool Children’s Library, mosques, supermarkets and hotels housing asylum seekers.

The Home Secretary spoke about the progress of the new National Violent Disorder Programme in bringing together the best policing capabilities from across the country to share intelligence on the activity of violent groups so the authorities can swiftly intervene to arrest them.

They did not address the incident in Birmingham on Monday.

Express.co.uk has offered a further opportunity to both to comment on the scenes.

Yesterday, Mr Starmer did address allegations of two-tier policing in a broadcast after Reform UK leader MP Nigel Farage suggested riots over the last week have been dealt with more harshly than other recent unrest and protests.

The Prime Minister flatly denied Mr Farage’s claims as a “non-issue” and insisted policing was carried out “without fear or favour”.

The events followed a week of violence across the country in protests organised by far-right and anti-immigration groups.

Mr Starmer said: "There is no two-tier policing, there is policing without fear or favour, exactly as it should be, exactly what I would expect and require. So that is a non-issue.

"The focus here is not on the apparent motivation of anybody involved in this. This is not protest, this is violence. It is violence on our streets, being inflicted and targeted on communities and we're not going to tolerate that in this country."

After we gave them a further chance to specifically comment on Birmingham, none was provided, but a Number 10 spokesman insisted because Mr Starmer had referred to the "apparent motivation of anybody involved" it meant he was referring to anyone and not just one group.

Hartlepool riots escalated on Wednesday evening, along with London and Manchester, while another took place in Sunderland on Friday night.

The rioting was sparked in Southport on Tuesday after the shocking knife murders a day earlier of three little girls, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6.

Eight other children and two adults were seriously injured in the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the town.

The events followed a week of violence across the country in protests organised by far-right and anti-immigration groups.

Axel Rudakubana, 17, who was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Rwandan parents, has been charged with the three murders and ten counts of attempted murder.