‘A fractious and divided country’
Political Fix9 Aug 2024

‘A fractious and divided country’

Sir Keir Starmer has told police to stay on ‘high alert’ for more disorder, as rafts of rioters receive lengthy jail sentences in Britain’s courts. Has the unrest petered out, or could it yet flare up again? And how will the government get a grip on the longer-term challenges the recent violence has thrown up – from illegal immigration to community cohesion? The FT’s Lucy Fisher is joined by northern England correspondent Jennifer Williams and UK correspondent William Wallis to assess the fallout. Plus Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a think-tank specialising in integration, joins with his analysis of how Starmer should start to heal the ‘fractious, divided and anxious country’.


Follow Lucy on Twitter @LOS_Fisher, Jen @JenWilliamsMEN, William @WWFTUK, Sunder @sundersays


Want more?


Keir Starmer tells police to stay on ‘high alert’ as UK rioters jailed


Far-right riots centred on England’s deprivation hotspots


The volatile far right on UK streets is becoming more difficult to label


Huge UK anti-racist rallies held as far-right protests fail to materialise


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Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Leah Quinn and Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix by Sean McGarrity and original music by Breen Turner. Studio engineers: Andrew Georgiades and Petros Gioumpasis. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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