Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson fiercely criticised Keir Starmer’s immigration policies, accusing the current PM of worsening the crisis following a week of far-right riots. Here’s the full story.
Johnson Attacks Starmer
Following the race riots which have torn through England and Northern Ireland over the past week, disgraced former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has waded into the national conversation taking place around the causes of the riots with a fierce attack on Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Far-Right Riots Condemned
As the smoke began to clear from the rampant destruction, which saw pogrom-like violence against ethnic minorities, culminating in an attempt to set alight a hotel housing asylum seekers, the far-right and, in some cases, openly fascist elements leading the chaos have been harshly criticised.
Misinformation Spread Online
With police beginning to make arrests, much attention has been paid to the spreading online of misinformation and disinformation around the identity of the accused attacker in the Southport murders, which has widely been viewed as the catalyst of the violence.
Johnson Blames Starmer
However, instead of blaming the far-right rioters themselves, Johnson, who was infamously ousted as Prime Minister by his Conservative MPs following a series of scandals that made his position untenable, blamed Starmer.
Rwanda Scheme Cancellation Criticised
In his regular column for the MailOnline, Johnson criticised Starmer for the cancellation of the former Prime Minister’s Rwanda deportation scheme, which was declared illegal by the UK’s highest court, writing, “Whatever you may have intended by all this, you gave the clear impression of a man who has no plan to stop illegal immigration, because he simply doesn’t care.”
Bibby Stockholm Closure
Johnson also criticised Starmer for the closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge, which had been intended to house 400 asylum seekers but had been condemned as unsafe after legionnaires disease was found in its water system, and faced criticism and controversy after one asylum seeker who was forced onto the barge committed suicide.
“Deaf to Public Concerns”
Johnson added, “Nothing excuses a government that seems deaf to public concerns, and that suggests, moreover, that they actively dislike all members of the public who share those concerns.”
Right Reframes Riots
Johnson’s critique comes at a time when many on the right are trying to reframe the fascist riots as an unwanted and violent outburst which has been pushed suddenly to the surface following years where anti-immigrant “concerns” have been ignored.
Public Sympathy Cited
Johnson parroted this line in his piece, citing a poll that found 34% of respondents were sympathetic to peaceful protests about immigration and integration. Johnson then questioned whether this meant a third of the UK could be considered “far-right.”
Far-Right Symbols Exposed
However, Johnson’s argument has been undermined by some of the far-right rioters who openly displayed Swastikas and Nazi salutes.
Patel’s “Two-Tier” Policing
Others in the Conservative Party, including leadership contender and disgraced former Home Secretary Priti Patel, have used the riots to suggest that the police are overseeing a so-called “two-tier” policing system which punishes far-right demonstrations more harshly than left-wing or ethnic minority protests.
Johnson’s Personal Attack
However, Johnson went beyond simply criticising the newly elected Labour government or their immigration policies.
Starmer’s Holiday Questioned
He attacked Starmer himself, suggesting that he should continue with the holiday he had planned before cancelling it in the wake of the riots, as by staying, Starmer had “made no difference whatever to the disturbances—or, if anything, made things marginally worse.”
Johnson’s Hypocrisy Highlighted
This particular attack line is all the more ironic considering that Johnson, who was Mayor of London during the 2011 riots, did not cancel his holiday and put off attempts to force him to return until it was clear the situation was spiralling out of control.
Esterson Points Out Hypocrisy
This fact was gleefully used to point out Johnson’s hypocrisy by Labour MP Bill Esterson, who told the Independent: “Boris Johnson went on holiday when he was Mayor of London in 2011 during the London riots. Keir Starmer chose not to go on holiday to deal with the riots across the country this week. Those are the facts if you hear Johnson saying something different.”
Conservative Backlash Begins
Johnson’s attack on Starmer over immigration policy symbolises the lashing out that many of the former Conservative heavyweights whose political stars have fallen precipitously have undertaken as the shock from the Conservative Party’s historical election defeat begins to sink in.
Right-Wing Reframing Attempts
As the UK continues to grapple with the fallout from the recent far-right riots, other conservative commentators and politicians will likely attempt to reframe the violence as an unacceptable outpouring of emotion over the sensitive issue of immigration.
Criticism of Justifications
However, as the country attempts to recover from the senseless violence, it remains to be seen whether this pivot attempt will be successful or, as has happened with other politicians like Reform UK leader Nigel Farage recently, any attempts at justification will be met with immediate controversy and criticism for attempting to excuse the inexcusable.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Alexandros Michailidis.
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