Nigel Farage has called for MPs to return to Parliament as riots continued across England over the weekend.
Farage, 60, voiced his dismay at the unrest after hundreds of protesters were arrested and dozens of police officers were injured.
The Reform UK leader also accused officers of “two-tier policing” as he called for a debate on the “population explosion”.
He said: “I have been totally appalled by the levels of violence seen in the last couple of days.
Nigel Farage ‘appalled’ by riots’ and calls for Parliament to be recalled as ‘we must have a more honest debate on population explosion’PA“The levels of intimidation and threat to life have no place in a functioning democracy.
“That so many police officers have been injured trying to keep the peace is shocking, and we should not discount the use of the army if the situation were to deteriorate further.”
Farage went on to express concern Sir Keir Starmer’s response to the riots.
He added: “In the short term, we will quell the riots, but deeper longer-term problems remain.
“Ever since the soft-policing of the Black Lives Matter protests, the impression of two-tier policing has become widespread.
“The Prime Minister’s faltering attempts to address the current crisis have only added to that sense of injustice.
“The majority of our population can see the fracturing of our communities as a result of mass, uncontrolled immigration, whether legal or illegal.
“Yet to attempt to debate this in the public arena leads to immediate howls of condemnation.
“A population explosion without integration was always going to end badly. I have said this for many years.
“We must have a more honest debate about these vital issues and give people the confidence that there are political solutions that are relevant to them.
“A recall of Parliament would be an appropriate start to this.”