Southport Riots

Far-right groups used misinformation to shamefully stoke violence and rioting across the country, using the shocking and senseless murder of the three young girls at the dance class in Southport as the pretext for their dishonest campaign. The murderous attack – which also injured ten others, including eight children – was itself a terrible tragedy. My thoughts were and still are with all of their families and friends, and the whole community of Southport.

However, the appalling violence and riots witnessed after that attack, provide a warning and lesson from which we must all learn. To vandalise, threaten, loot and cause violent disorder, especially as this was deliberately directed at and against asylum seekers, our Muslim communities and business owners was based on false claims and was of course completely unacceptable.

The country was rightly appalled and outraged at the despicable actions of a tiny minority. All those thugs who rioted and carried out racist attacks must face the full force of the law. Some of their trials have come to court already, as you’ll have seen. These expose the tactics and dishonesty of the far-right in this country and should provide a salutary lesson. We should not allow this kind of dishonest, hate-filled scapegoating of minority groups to take hold of our society.

I share the views of my party leader, Ed Davey, who has released a statement on the disorder here.

Everyone has the right to feel safe in their homes, communities and places of worship.

My Liberal Democrat parliamentary colleagues and I welcome the actions taken by the police and the new measures announced by the government to clamp down on criminals attempting to terrorise our communities. Social media firms must also be held to account for their responsibility to combat misinformation and incitement to violence on their platforms.

My colleague, the Liberal Democrat Women and Equalities Spokesperson, Christine Jardine MP has also communicated with the Government Equalities Office, to convey her concerns about the surge in Islamophobic violence since the Southport attack and has urged the Government to appoint an Independent Advisor on Islamophobia.

People from all backgrounds and walks of life came together to condemn these riots and clean up the damage. It is they who truly represent British society, not the rioters and those who have incited them.

My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I will always work in the national interest to protect our communities.