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As the new British Prime Minister Starmer takes office for a full month, his top priority is to "ensure everyone on the streets is safe". Since last week, the largest riots in 13 years have broken out in many cities in the UK, causing injuries to police officers and damage to people's property. Some British people are dissatisfied with the economic situation and other social realities, and attribute some contradictions in British society to the so-called immigration problem, which is the deep-seated cause of the riots.

Violence continues to spread

In the past week, large-scale violence against anti-immigration policies broke out in cities mainly in the northwest of the UK, such as Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Manchester, Bristol, Hartlepool and Southport. This is the most serious civil unrest in the UK in 13 years. The last time was in August 2011, when a London policeman shot and killed a black man, triggering five days of fierce protests in England.

The riots began on July 29, 2024, when a knife attack occurred in a dance class in Southport, Merseyside, northwest of the country, killing three girls. Subsequently, false information about the perpetrators was widely forwarded on social platforms such as X and Telegram, with the former being promoted as "Muslims" and "immigrants", which further ignited the anger of far-right groups.

Although British police have said the 17-year-old suspect, Axel Rudakubana, was born in Britain, protests by anti-immigrant demonstrators have continued and turned into vandalism, arson and looting.

According to Sky News, there will be 30 more protests in various places on August 7, and law firms may become new targets. According to reports, by the end of this weekend, about 6,000 professional police officers will be ready to form a "standing army" to deal with protests and riots in many places.

At the same time, law enforcement agencies deployed a large number of police forces and used surveillance and facial recognition technology to maintain order. In order to deal with the potential threat of riots, Starmer convened an emergency cabinet meeting again on the evening of the 6th. After the meeting, he said that many parts of the UK are currently in chaos and the situation is difficult. More than 400 people have been arrested, of which about 100 have been prosecuted. Starmer said that the participants in the riots will be fully sanctioned by law.

At present, at least six countries have issued travel and security warnings to citizens living in or visiting the UK. The United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Australia have warned all their citizens in the UK and tourists visiting the UK that there are serious security risks in some parts of the UK and they need to strengthen security precautions.

The Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the UK issued an important notice on August 7, reminding Chinese citizens in the UK, including Chinese tourists, to strengthen safety precautions and avoid going to the place where the incident occurred. Pay attention to the safety tips issued by the embassy and consulates in time and strengthen safety precautions. In case of emergency, call the police for help and contact the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the UK in time.

Immigration issues are difficult to resolve

The incident happened less than a month after the new British cabinet was formed. Media commentators said that the Labour Party led by Starmer had hoped that the overwhelming victory in the general election would bring about a political honeymoon that would last for the entire summer. However, a series of imminent challenges caused the excitement generated by the new government to dissipate in less than a month.

In fact, immigration has been a difficult issue for the UK for many years. Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Institute of Regional and Global Governance of Beijing Foreign Studies University, pointed out that for a long time, the UK has promoted multiculturalism on issues such as immigration, race, and religion, but many problems have also emerged with the influx of a large number of immigrants.

On the other hand, Cui Hongjian mentioned that in recent years, both the British people and some of the British elite groups have attributed some of the contradictions in British society to the so-called immigration problem, the so-called influence of foreign ethnic groups on the British economy and society, etc. Therefore, the trend of public opinion has also played a great role in fueling the fermentation of this matter.

At the beginning of his term, Starmer announced the abolition of the "Rwanda Plan" implemented by the previous government to deal with illegal immigration, and would solve this problem by cracking down on organized crime and other means. This measure immediately made headlines in major media after it was announced, but whether it can fundamentally solve the immigration problem remains unknown.

According to the "Rwanda Plan", all illegal immigrants arriving in the UK after January 1, 2022 may be deported to the African country of Rwanda. The plan has been controversial, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has warned that the UK's move violates the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and "sets a dangerous precedent globally."

Earlier, the Labour Party clearly stated in its election manifesto that the new government's response to illegal immigration is to establish a "Border Security Command" and strengthen cooperation with European countries to combat human trafficking crimes. New Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the new "Border Security Commander" will be appointed this summer and a new Border Security Bill will be introduced to enhance the government's ability to combat human smuggling criminal gangs.

But observers believe that solving the problem of illegal immigration by cracking down on crime may take a long time, and joining forces with European countries may face differences of opinion with countries such as France.

A Test of the Labour Party's Governance

The riots also became new material for the opposition to attack the ruling party. Farage, leader of the far-right British Reform Party, said that the fake news that was reposted believed that immigration levels were related to violent crime and that Muslims posed a threat to children's lives. In the July general election, the British Reform Party significantly increased its support rate by manipulating the immigration issue.

The Financial Times wrote in a commentary that the root cause of fear of immigrants lies in unbalanced development. To convince individuals that immigrants are good for the country as a whole, the government needs to increase economic opportunities and public services in underdeveloped areas. Most of the riots occurred in the northwest, which is in stark contrast to the prosperous southeast. Without broad economic growth, immigrants can easily become the target of local discontent.

"The next phase of the Labour government's governance will not be smooth," Cui Hongjian said, because the accumulated contradictions and problems in the UK are very serious. The Conservative government has not solved them for more than a decade, and the Labour government will not solve them in the short term. Cui Hongjian pointed out that the UK is currently facing three major problems: immigration, inflation, and political division, which correspond to social contradictions, livelihood difficulties, and political contradictions. "If these problems are linked, a systemic crisis will occur."

Just recently, Starmer's office conducted a comprehensive assessment three weeks into his term in office, expressing "shock" at the situation the Conservative Party faced after 14 years in power, and released an analysis of the "failed departments" of the previous government.

In response to the report, Starmer's office said in a statement: "The results of the assessment will show that the UK is bankrupt and has become 'fragmented'. This reveals the chaos caused by populist politics (referring to the Conservative Party's rule) on the economy and public services. It shows that the previous government made major funding commitments for this fiscal year, but it is unknown where the money will come from."

Some analysts also pointed out that in addition to the ongoing riots and potential tax increases, the new British government faces many problems. If it fails to deliver clear results on the economy, the National Health Service and immigration issues, it will be difficult to eliminate the dissatisfaction in British society.

According to British media reports, the government's tough response to violence has won public support. However, residents in cities and towns across the country have also felt that the security situation has deteriorated significantly in recent times, and many witnesses of the riots are still "frightened".

Beijing Business Daily reporter Zhao Tianshu