Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the “shocking and disgraceful” rioting in Leeds as he gave his full support to police in “taking the strongest possible action” against the troublemakers.
The violence in Harehills on Thursday night, which saw a bus torched, a police car overturned and rocks and bottles thrown at officers, “has no place in our society”, the prime minister said.
Police remained at the scene of the unrest on Friday, where the charred wreckage of vehicles was still visible, amid concerns disorder could flare again over the weekend.
The owner of a restaurant in the area said the trouble was linked to local children being taken into care, that led some people to respond by setting fires and “throwing stones”.
In the wake of the violence, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who represents a West Yorkshire constituency, said those responsible “must face the full force of the law”.
Referring to her statement, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “He (Sir Keir) would echo that the scenes that we saw last night were shocking and disgraceful. And disorder of this nature has no place in our society.
“That’s why he would like to thank West Yorkshire Police and the emergency services for their swift support.
“And the police have our full support in carrying out their investigations and taking the strongest possible action against perpetrators and keep the public safe.”
Downing Street said the government would not “cut across a police matter” when asked whether it would back fast-tracked sentences for the rioters.
Read more:
How did one apparent incident spiral into such a level of disorder?
When he was director of public prosecutions in 2012, Sir Keir said rapid riot prosecutions were more important than long sentences.
Pressed if the prime minister would back such a move now, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “On this…
