No plans to deploy army to quell rioters on UK streets, defence secretary says

Prime minister Keir Starmer is holding an emergency Cobra meeting as the violence enters its second week

A youth wearing a grey tracksuit and with his face covered by a black T-shirt throws a fence post towards police in Rotherham (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)

There are no plans to mobilise the Army to quell the escalating violence on Britain’s streets, the defence secretary has said.

The former first minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf has called for troops to be used to stop "thugs" following appalling scenes in Hull, Halifax, Liverpool, London, Southport and Rotherham.

But ministers have so far insisted that the police have the resources they need to respond to the violent mobs, who on Sunday stormed a hotel full of asylum seekers and set fire to it, knowing people were inside.

John Healy, the defence secretary, said it was the police's responsibility to respond in the first place “and currently, they've got the means to do it, and they will make sure that people stay safe."

Asked directly if the Army would be used in response to the riots, he said: "No".

A youth wearing a grey tracksuit and with his face covered by a black T-shirt throws a fence post towards police in Rotherham (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)

He was speaking in Rotherham, where he is the local MP, after rioters smashed the windows of a Holiday Inn Express hotel before starting fires.

He spoke of the “fear” felt by staff and residents who saw “people outside trying the set fire to this hotel knowing there were people inside”.

Earlier the home secretary Yvette Cooper said police had the “expertise” to deal with the issue.

There were a number of highly trained police officers yet to be deployed who could be called upon, she said.

Riot police officers push back anti-migration protesters outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham (Getty Images)

Challenged why they were not used over the weekend, Ms Cooper said extra officers had been made available in the past few days.

The violence has hit towns and cities around the UK since misinformation was used to inflame tensions following the murder of three girls in Southport.

False claims the alleged attacker was on a watchlist and Muslim were used to stir up far-right mobs.

At least 10 officers were injured in Rotherham, including one who was knocked unconscious, South Yorkshire Police have said, on the sixth day of escalating violence.

As around 700 people gathered, masked men hurled lengths of wood, chairs and bottles, and sprayed fire extinguishers at officers outside.

Damage at the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth, Staffordshire, after it was attacked on Sunday (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)

There were similar scenes at a Holiday Inn hotel in Tamworth, where reports suggested asylum seekers were also being housed.

Rioters threw projectiles, smashed windows, started fires and targeted officers, Staffordshire Police said.

Elsewhere, a group in Middlesbrough smashed the windows of houses and cars and threw objects at officers, with one telling police: "It's our f****** country."

Greater Manchester Police issued a Section 60AA order amid disturbances in Bolton, requiring people to "remove face coverings used to disguise or conceal their appearance".

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed rioters will "regret" engaging in "far-right thuggery", and promised those involved in unrest would "face the full force of the law".