Yvette Cooper has been accused of ignoring the issue of immigration as she chose to fixate her speech on the Southport rioters.
Taking to the stage, the Home Secretary launched a furious attack against summer rioters by labelling the spate of incidents as “arson, racism and thuggery”.
Unrest was sparked across England and Northern Ireland following a series of unfounded rumours about the perpetrator behind the tragic stabbing of three children in Southport.
Speaking at the ACC in Liverpool, Cooper said: “Don’t anyone tell me that was protest, don’t anyone tell me that was about immigration or policing or poverty.
“Plenty of people have strong views on immigration, on crime, on the NHS and more but they don’t pick up bricks and throw them at the police.
“They don’t set fire to buildings with people inside. It was arson, it was racism, it was thuggery, it was crime.”
Taking aim at Cooper, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded her speech “pathetic”.
Braverman wrote on X: “Today was a golden opportunity for the Home Secretary to set out a robust plan to secure our borders.
“Instead, she chose to fixate on the past- it’s always someone else’s fault.
“No mention of the 1,424 migrants who crossed the Channel last weekend alone. Pathetic.”
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