The riots are fermenting and the government is short of money. How will the new British government survive? The riots are fermenting and the government is "a headache"
2024-08-12
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Just one month after taking office, the new British government is already having a headache. Recently, large-scale anti-immigration protests broke out in many parts of the UK, and the immigration issue has once again become the focus of attention, making the British government exhausted; in addition, after taking office, the Labour Party found that there was a gap of 20 billion pounds in public finances...
How will the Labour government led by Prime Minister Starmer respond to the brewing riots, difficult immigration issues and poor financial situation?
On the 7th, the British police were on high alert and deployed police forces in many places to deal with more than 100 far-right rallies originally scheduled for that day. These rallies ended up being a lot of noise but little action. At the same time, thousands of anti-racism protesters held rallies in cities such as Birmingham, London and Brighton to support refugees. However, media analysis shows that the riots, which have been called "the worst in 13 years", may continue.
The riots originated from a knife attack in Southport, northwest England, on July 29, when a 17-year-old male suspect broke into a primary school dance class and killed three children and injured several others. After the incident, false information about the murderer's identity began to circulate on social media, including rumors that he was a refugee who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023. Subsequently, protests were held in London, Liverpool, Bristol, Hull, Manchester and other places, which gradually evolved into violent riots. Some rioters vandalized refugee accommodation hotels and shops, attacked police officers and burned police cars.
Although police later confirmed that the 17-year-old boy was born in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and his parents were from Rwanda, the riots were not quelled.
The British government held an emergency meeting on the 5th. Prime Minister Starmer said after the meeting that Britain will strengthen police force and criminal prosecution of perpetrators. A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that British courts can extend the court session as needed to ensure that participants in the riots are punished by law as soon as possible.
During the election campaign, the Labour Party listed improving public order and halving serious violent crime as one of the "five missions" to rebuild Britain. This sudden storm has added another problem for the new government - insufficient prison capacity. After the riots broke out, Justice Secretary Heidi Alexander said that the government is indeed adding prisons to cope with the number of arrests in the past week.
In addition, some British MPs criticized online social platforms for promoting violent activities. In recent years, the British far right has shared lists of refugee accommodation hotels on social media. One of the targets of the mob attack this time was a hotel where the British government accommodated illegal immigrants. The British government is currently communicating with social media platforms to ensure a quick response to criminal content.
Immigration issues in the spotlight
Analysts pointed out that the reason why the recent riots in the UK have fermented rapidly is partly because some British people and elite groups attributed some of the current social difficulties to immigration issues, fueling the spread of rumors.
According to the BBC, some of the people participating in the protests initially just wanted to speak out about immigration issues, but they did not expect the peaceful demonstration to turn into "barbaric" violence.
Neil Basu, a former British counter-terrorism official, said some of the violence during the riots "had crossed the line" and there were some loopholes in the laws related to hate extremism that needed to be filled, especially to prevent far-right elements from inciting riots and creating chaos.
The phenomenon of illegal immigrants sneaking into the UK via France has become increasingly serious in recent years. According to data from the UK Home Office and the Ministry of Defense, as of the end of June this year, more than 13,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the English Channel to the UK, a four-year high.
The cost of resettling illegal immigrants is high. According to the British government's estimate in 2023, the total cost of providing hotel accommodation for illegal immigrants in the UK is about 6 million pounds per day. Some right-wing politicians continue to hype up the immigration issue for political gain and incite the emotions of ordinary people.
Previously, when Johnson was the British Prime Minister, he launched the "Rwanda Plan", which was to deport illegal immigrants who arrived in the UK after January 1, 2022 to the African country of Rwanda and provide corresponding funds to Rwanda. The plan was supported by Johnson's successors Truss and Sunak, but was widely opposed in the UK and abroad. The Labour Party abolished the plan as soon as it came to power.
The dilemma of “increasing revenue and reducing expenditure”
The British government is also facing the problem of fiscal deficit. A Labour Party insider disclosed at the end of July that an assessment found that the UK public finances had a gap of 20 billion pounds. Prime Minister Starmer's office described the current British finances as "bankrupt" and "broken." The UK Treasury issued a statement on the evening of July 28, blaming the fiscal deficit on the previous government led by the Conservative Party, saying that its "a series of unpaid promises led to billions of pounds of budget overspending this year."
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced a series of reform measures on July 29 to "increase revenue and reduce expenditure". In an interview with British media, she said that taxes will be increased in the fiscal budget to be released at the end of October this year. Analysts pointed out that in the first budget after the Labour Party came to power, the areas where taxes may be increased include capital gains tax, inheritance tax, municipal tax, etc.
In response to the Labour government's accusations, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said that the accusations of a huge fiscal deficit of the previous government were false and that the Labour government was trying to pave the way for future tax increase plans.
Data from the UK Office for National Statistics shows that as of the end of June 2024, government debt is equivalent to 99.5% of GDP.
Analysts believe that increased taxes coupled with reduced spending will further increase the already heavy tax burden on the British people and businesses. Poor public services and sluggish public investment may further deteriorate, and the British government is facing a dilemma.
Ian Begg, a professor at the European Institute of the London School of Economics, believes that in order to solve the fiscal deficit problem, the British government should find ways to ensure that the economic growth rate increases, such as increasing public investment, improving infrastructure investment that can bring higher growth, promoting research and development, and encouraging innovative initiatives.
Xihai Metropolis Daily (August 9, 2024, Page B14: World Focus)
Source: Xihai Metropolis Daily
