Nigel Farage’s recent comments, suggesting that the police are withholding the truth about the Southport attack, have drawn sharp criticism from Tory leadership contender Tom Tugendhat.
Tugendhat, a former security minister, labeled Farage’s remarks as “irresponsible and dangerous,” accusing the former UKIP leader of spreading misinformation initially propagated by online influencers like Andrew Tate.
Tugendhat also pointed out Farage’s failure to denounce the riots that followed the attack.
“This is not leadership,” Tugendhat emphasized, speaking at an event in London. “It is deeply irresponsible and dangerous.” Tugendhat made it clear that under his leadership, Farage would not be welcomed into the Conservative Party.
Tugendhat’s criticisms extended beyond Farage. He also targeted Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what he described as a slow response to the riots, even though Starmer had been commended by many for expediting the justice process during the unrest.
Tugendhat argued that if Starmer had taken more decisive action, such as holding daily Cobra meetings with senior police officers, the security services, and the army, the riots could have been contained more swiftly.
“They could have canceled leave, extended mutual aid, and confronted the rioters earlier with an overwhelming police presence,” Tugendhat said, lamenting the lack of leadership during the crisis.
He also suggested that the police could have been supported by special constables and the army, allowing them to use “appropriate force” to quell the violence.
Tugendhat, who previously served as the security minister, criticized the approach to making arrests during the riots.
“As security minister, I constantly had to encourage the police to make arrests as crimes were being committed, rather than waiting until after a protest had finished,” he said. Tugendhat believes that immediate and uncompromising action is necessary once individuals cross the line into violent behavior.
Lessons from 2011 Riots Ignored, Tugendhat Warns
Reflecting on the length of the riots, Tugendhat pointed out that they lasted more than a week, surpassing the duration of the more severe riots of 2011. He argued that the lessons learned from previous incidents were not applied, leading to a prolonged period of unrest that could have been curtailed sooner.
Tugendhat’s speech also touched on broader issues affecting the UK. He expressed concern that universities are “indulging in ideologies of grievance instead of transmitting knowledge,” and criticized schools, museums, and galleries for apologizing for Britain’s history instead of celebrating it.
Tugendhat argued that “equality of opportunity” has been replaced by “critical race theory” and accused Labour of failing to address what he described as the “politicization of race” in recent years.
In response to Tugendhat’s comments, Farage was not the only one to face criticism. Tugendhat also took aim at Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, for his “delusional” comments about the UK riots.
Musk had suggested that civil war in the UK was inevitable, a statement Tugendhat dismissed as baseless and inflammatory.
While other leadership contenders such as James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, Priti Patel, and Mel Stride have condemned the rioters, Kemi Badenoch, the frontrunner, has been criticized for remaining largely silent on the issue.
Tugendhat called for significant reform of what he described as “inconsistent” policing, arguing that the response to the riots was too weak at times, allowing some rioters to engage in violent disorder without facing a strong police presence.
However, Tugendhat rejected the notion of “two-tier policing” in the UK, a theory popularized by Farage. He distinguished between public protests that turn violent due to a minority and deliberate acts of violence by those intent on causing chaos.
Responding to Tugendhat’s criticism of Farage, Reform MP Lee Anderson accused the Conservative Party of attempting to deflect attention from its failures, particularly concerning mass immigration.
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