Serious debate on immigration will not be halted by chaos – The Irish News

Yvette Cooper said disorder and violence must not “shut down” “serious debate” on immigration as she also claimed the Conservatives were becoming “right-wing wreckers”.

The Home Secretary condemned the recent rioting and disorder that broke out in parts of the country following a knife attack at a dance studio in Southport on July 29, which left three girls dead.

Ms Cooper called the incidents “arson”, “racism” and “violence” before saying she was “appalled” by the reaction of some in “political parties on the right who once claimed to care about law and order”.

Speaking at a Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Mrs Cooper said she had spoken to children about their experiences when the Spellow Hub library was set on fire during unrest on County Road in the city.

She said: ‘Someone told me how scared she was that night, how her mother turned off all the lights in the house and told her to be quiet and sit on the steps while bins were being set on fire along her street.

“So don’t tell me it was a protest. Don’t tell me it was about immigration or police or poverty.

“Many people have strong views on immigration, crime, the NHS and more, but they don’t pick up rocks and throw them at the police. They don’t set fire to buildings with people in them.

“It was arson. It was racism. It was brutality. It was crime.”

Ms Cooper turned to political parties “on the right” and said they should have “fully supported” our brave police officers.

She said: “Instead, too often we have seen them undermine the integrity and authority of the police, even making excuses for the crowd.

“If you remember last year in the run-up to Armistice Day, outrageous insults were made against the police, making it harder for them to do their job, and that was described as a dismissal offence for a Conservative Home Secretary.

“A year later, those same insults have become an article of faith for every Tory leadership candidate. It’s a disgrace what the party has become.

“The Tories, with their cronies in Reform, are simply becoming right wing wreckers – undermining respect for the law, trying to break the bonds that keep communities safe. They have nothing to offer except fear, division and anger.

“But that’s not who we are, that’s not what Britain is about. Our country has always stood for respect and the rule of law.

“That is what this Labour Party will always stand for: the party of law and order, now again a government of law and order.

“And we will not allow disorder and violence to silence a serious debate on immigration, something that has been missing for too long amid the chaos, the gimmicks and the damaging, hyped-up rhetoric.

“A serious government sees that net migration has tripled because recruitment abroad has increased while training has been drastically reduced, and says that net migration must come down because we are training young people properly here in the UK.

“A serious government sees an asylum system in chaos and says we need to clear the backlog and put an end to asylum hotels.”

Ms Cooper continued: “And a serious government looks at the criminal gangs who profit from undermining our border security, while women and children are crushed in overcrowded, rickety little boats, and says the gangs have been getting away with it for too long – we will not tolerate this despicable trade in human life.

“A serious government knows that immigration is important, and that is why it needs to be properly managed and controlled, so that the system is fair, so that the rules are properly followed and enforced. But we must never again see a shameful repeat of the Windrush scandal, which failed British citizens.”

Ms Cooper highlighted the government’s work on border security, adding that working with other countries is better than “standing on the shore and shouting at the sea”.

Elsewhere in her speech, Ms Cooper outlined the government’s “mission” for safer streets.

This includes new powers to respond to antisocial behaviour, shoplifting and off-road cycling. More police are also expected in the neighbourhoods and a ban on ninja swords is being introduced.

Ms Cooper also spoke about treating violence against women and girls as a “national emergency”, saying: “We cannot and will not allow the next generation of women and girls to face the same violence as the last.

“Our daughters deserve better than this.”