PM condemns ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally that ‘sent shiver’ through communities

Sir Keir Starmer has condemned Saturday’s “Unite the Kingdom” demonstration in central London, saying it has left people feeling “more scared than they were before”.

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.

In an interview with Channel 4 News, the Prime Minister described the demonstration as “plastic patriotism”, adding that it had been more than “just very bad behaviour”.

He said: “It sent a shiver through so many of our communities who now feel more scared than they did before. I understand that.”

Downing Street had earlier condemned as “dangerous and inflammatory” comments by billionaire Elon Musk, in which he urged demonstrators at the rally in London to “fight back” or “die”.

The American owner of Tesla and X also called for an urgent change in government in the UK and told the crowd that “violence is coming”, in his guest appearance at the protest on Saturday.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Musk’s words threatened “violence and intimidation on our streets”, adding: “I don’t think the British public will have any truck with that kind of language.”

Cabinet ministers described Mr Musk’s intervention as “totally inappropriate”, and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Britain’s democracy is “too precious to be a plaything for foreign tech barons”.

Sir Ed also said he had written to the Prime Minister, Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage over the weekend, urging them to join him in condemning the “dangerous” remarks.

Asked about the language on Monday, Mr Farage said the “context” in which the words had been used left a “degree of ambiguity”.

“If the fight that Musk was talking about was about standing up for our rights and free speech, if it was about fighting in elections to overcome the established parties, then that absolutely is the fight that we’re in,” he said.

In his Channel 4 interview, Sir Keir sought to associate Saturday’s events with Reform UK, saying he was “absolutely determined to lead in this fight of our times between renewal, the patriotic cause of the Labour Party, and the division and toxic chaos and decline that would come under Reform”.

Earlier on Monday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage had condemned the violence used against police on Saturday, saying it was “horrible” and he “feared something like that would happen”.

But he told a press conference in London he thought “the vast majority of people that turned up were good, ordinary decent people who are very, very concerned about what’s happening in this country”.

Asked whether he was concerned about ethnic minority Britons who had felt scared to go into central London during the demonstration, he added: “If some people were offended by it, or felt worried by it, then that is a great shame.

“I’ll tell you what’s even worse, the fact that over 50% of women don’t feel safe walking the streets alone.”