Nigel Farage sparked a furious row online with his comments on the Leeds riots, with a local MP slamming him for “inflaming a situation with misinformation”.
On Thursday evening, riots broke out on a residential street in Harehills following a disturbance involving social services and children, who were quickly taken away to a safe space.
Meanwhile, crowds gathered as police soon swarmed the area, and widespread chaos broke out, with members of the public overturning a police car and setting a double-decker bus on fire.
The Reform UK leader blamed the unrest in Leeds on the “politics of the subcontinent”.
The Clacton MP, who attended the Republican National Convention in support of Donald Trump, issued a statement online reacting with fury to the disturbance.
He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The local Labour MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, Alex Sobel, quickly fired back at Farage and called on him to issue an apology for his comments.
He wrote: “This is a situation you know nothing about and no one has briefed you on.
Members of the public overturned a police car and set a double-decker bus on fireTikTok“You are inflaming a situation with misinformation. Politicians have a responsibility to not exacerbate situations particularly with no knowledge of them. I expect you to issue an apology.”
The Reform leader quickly snapped back minutes later: “When will you and the Labour Party apologise for irresponsible mass migration?”
With all that in mind, do you think the Leeds riots are an example of the politics of the subcontinent? Have your say.