Unrest in UK first big challenge for Starmer

Just more than a month after taking office, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing his first major challenge with violent protests raging across the United Kingdom.

Anti-immigration sentiments, fanned by the rise of the far right and compounded by the cost-of-living crisis, can be blamed for the current state of affairs, experts said.

The prime minister's spokeswoman said on Monday the government welcomes "a de-escalation this weekend", but insisted officials remain on "high alert".

Violence in English towns and cities broke out after misinformation circulated online that a Muslim immigrant was behind the July 29 stabbing in Southport, northwestern England, that killed three young girls.

The stabbing sparked social unrest in Southport the following evening, on July 30, and violence in more than a dozen English towns and cities as well as in Northern Ireland over the ensuing week.

As of Monday, 975 people had been arrested and more than 500 charged for involvement in the disorder, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council. Two 12-year-old boys pleaded guilty to violent disorder on Monday, becoming the youngest to admit taking part in the unrest.

"The rioting is politically driven," Portsmouth resident Danny Ewart said. "I am frustrated by the direction this country is headed, but we need to come together and work on our differences. We also need to manage the immigration numbers as it's not sustainable."

Xu Ruike, an associate professor of British politics and foreign policy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said the recent social unrest is "the first major challenge" facing Starmer. "Although it is a rare event, it reflects the underlying issues in UK society, in particular the rise of the far right," Xu said.

Billy Bessey, who took part in anti-immigration demonstrations in Portsmouth, said, "Rioting is entirely down to inept Conservative and Labour governments." The violence is wrong but the blood is on the hands of politicians, he added.

'Just the trigger'

Huang Fei, an associate professor at the School of International Studies and a research fellow at the School of Global and Area Studies of Renmin University of China, said, "Anti-immigration sentiment is just the trigger."

The financial burden of households worsened following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, sending inflation to above 10 percent in 2022, Huang said. Extra checks and tariffs after Brexit, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding subsequent free trade talks, have added to the livelihood woes.

The British economy's lackluster performance in recent years has further fueled public dissatisfaction with the government. The GDP grew by 0.1 percent year-on-year last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. At the end of last month, the government declared the country was "broke and broken".

Net migration was unusually high last year, at 685,000, driven by an increase in non-European Union citizens coming to the United Kingdom, according to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford.

"The large number of migrants is putting great pressure on the society, leading to reduced social welfare for the general public, especially the ones in the lower income segment," Huang said.

An increasing number of people are growing angry with the large number of illegal immigrants coming to the country and anti-immigrant sentiment was a major factor in the Brexit referendum vote, Huang added.

Bessey said the right-wing party Reform UK "is the only way we will ever get to control our borders".

At the election last month, Reform UK, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, won 14 percent of the votes, but only gained five seats.

"It is underrepresented in parliament as the UK's first-past-the-post voting system favors the bigger parties," Xu said.

The unrest comes amid a broader right-wing populist surge in European countries. During the European Parliament election in June, far-right parties made major gains.

French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the lower house of parliament to block the far-right National Rally from coming to power.

"It reflects the political polarization, further complicating the political landscape, combined with a crisis of trust in government," Huang said.

Police have blamed peddling of false information online, amplified by social media, for the violence.

"The misinformation that was widely circulated plays up to the insecurity felt by the public, fostering a willingness among individuals to instinctively believe the social media posts," Xu said.

Agencies and Nick Ive contributed to this story.