PM Sir Keir Starmer yesterday slapped down Elon Musk’s claim that a British civil war is inevitable after days of violent disorder.
Downing Street said there was “no justification” for the tech boss’s comments, sparking a war of words.
The spat intensified with Musk later telling Sir Keir he should be concerned “about all communities” — after the PM spoke about the impact of the UK riots on Muslims.
Yesterday Sir Keir chaired the first emergency Cobra meeting since the riots began.
He warned: “If you’re inciting violence, it doesn’t matter whether it’s online or offline . . . I expect there to be arrests and prosecution.”
Nearly 400 people have been arrested a week on from the fatal Southport stabbing attacks.
Sir Keir said a “standing army” of specialist officers are now on hand to deal with the disorder.
More than 500 prison places will open up next week so more rioters can be locked up.
Sir Keir rejected claims of two-tier policing, where right-wing protests are considered to be dealt with more harshly than left-wing ones.
Met chief Sir Mark Rowley appeared to knock a reporter’s microphone to the floor when quizzed about two-tier policing after the Cobra meeting.
Speaking after today's Cobra meeting, the PM said:
There have been hundreds of arrests, people are already being charged and the police will continue to update on the specifics in relation to progress on arrests and charging.
The police are continuing to deploy additional resources around the country at strategic locations where necessary.
The police, home office, DC and NCA, are working to tackle criminality online, to ensure people are prosecuted, and they are working to tackle misinformation and bot activity.
The additional courts protocol is in place to ensure that additional court capacity is in place as is needed.
As the home office announced I think, on Friday, the protective security and mosque scheme has been extended with additional security in place across across the country.
Social media companies have responsibilities under the law. They have responsibilities to keep their users safe.
They have responsibility for ensuring that criminal activity is not on their platforms, and likewise, individuals who post illegal content online should know that they will also be met with the full force of the law.
There is not some sort of immunity by inciting illegal activity online.
There’s no kind of safe space where you can avoid prosecution, just because you are engaging in illegal activity online.
