Yvette Cooper hits out at Tory ‘laissez-faire’ approach to crime
The shadow home secretary sought to bridge calls for social justice with the party’s policies on law and order and borders.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Yvette Cooper hit out at the Tory’s “laissez-faire” approach to crime and said under the current Government “there is no justice”.
The shadow home secretary told the party’s conference in Liverpool that Labour would provide 13,000 additional police and PCSOs, work with France to prevent small boats crossing the Channel, and crack down on “criminals who lure young people into violence”.
She also sought to bridge calls for social justice with the party’s policies on law and order and borders, saying: “Labour knows that you don’t get social justice if you don’t have justice and you don’t feel safe.
“Inequality and poverty corrode people’s security, and security is the foundation on which all other opportunities are built.
“So Labour will always stand up for the security of our nation, our borders, and our communities.”
Attacking the Tory record, she said: “In 94% of crimes now no-one is charged. Time and again no-one pays the price, there are no consequences, there is no justice.
“Now, the Conservatives want us to think that none of this is their fault.
“But it was their policy to slash the police, the youth services, the courts, their policy to show no leadership on standards, and to divide our communities, pitting people against each other.
“This is a laissez-faire approach that isn’t an accident, it is Tory ideology.”
She mocked the Conservative claim to be the party of law and order, saying their record on home affairs is “grim” and that Boris Johnson should have said he “had a party, broken the law and created disorder”.
She also said Labour “cannot stand” for the justice system’s current record on rape, saying her party would tackle the “epidemic of violence” against women and girls, with plans including putting domestic abuse experts into 999 control rooms and rape investigation units in every force.
Committing to increasing police numbers, she said: “We will take action to rebuild neighbourhood policing. I can today announce a fully funded £360 million programme to put 13,000 additional police and PCSOs into community teams, so that people can be confident someone will be there to help keep them safe.”
And Ms Cooper committed to ensuring the immigration system is “fair and firm and properly managed”
“Unlike the Tories, we will work with France to prevent dangerous small boats crossing the Channel and putting lives at risk with a new cross-border police unit to crackdown on the criminal gangs who make millions from trading in people and profiting from their lives, paid for by cancelling the deeply damaging, extortionately expensive, unworkable and unethical Rwanda plan,” she said.
She also promised a crackdown on county lines and organised crime, saying: “The next Labour government will bring in a new law to crack down on criminals who lure young people into violence. We will outlaw the exploitation of children for crime.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.