Downing Street has defended Sir Keir Starmer referring to the “fight of our times” following the weekend’s Unite the Kingdom protest, after condemning violence at the march.
Between 110,000 and 150,000 people turned out for Saturday’s protest organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
Some 26 police officers were injured, including four who were seriously hurt, and 24 people were arrested for a range of offences including affray, violent disorder, assault and criminal damage.
Speaking at Cabinet on Tuesday, the Prime Minister condemned the violence faced by police officers on duty.
He also said “we are in the fight of our times between patriotic national renewal and decline and toxic division” following a march led by “convicted criminal” Yaxley-Lennon.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added: “He said the Government must heed the patriotic call for national renewal. This fight has to be won.”
Asked by reporters if people were wrong to attend the march because it had been led by Yaxley-Lennon, the spokesman replied: “So the Prime Minister has repeatedly said that he is the proponent of free speech.
“Freedom of speech is core to this country’s values, and this Government was elected by people up and down this country who lost faith in politicians and their ability to change people’s lives for the better and deliver for working people, and that is what this Government’s agenda is all about.
“But that can be true, and it can also be true there will be people around the country who will have seen the scenes at the weekend, as we say led by a convicted criminal, calls to violence from a foreign billionaire, and feel intimidated and scared because of their background, the colour of their skin.”
Downing Street had previously condemned billionaire US businessman Elon Musk’s video appearance at the march, in which he told the crowd that “violence is coming”.
Questioned about why the Prime Minister referred to a “fight” after No 10 condemned calls for violence, the spokesman said: “There is a situation, as he’s described at Cabinet, in this country where some people do want to sow division, and they do to lead to a situation where the result of which some people feel intimidated because of the colour of their skin and their backgrounds, and he understands how those people feel.”
