‘It’s NOT unreasonable’: Tensions simmer on GB News as guests row over Nigel Farage’s Southport riots question
A tense row broke out on GB News this evening as a former Labour minister criticised Nigel Farage for his question as riots broke out in Southport.
It comes after a watchdog found the police were unprepared for the scale of disorder that broke out in parts of the UK following the Southport knife attacks.
At the time of the knife attacks, Nigel spoke out to question whether the police were withholding details about the attacker.
Bill Rammell dubbed Nigel a “propagator of false information”, an assertion that political commentator Matt Goodwin took issue with.
“Hang on. There was no misinformation by Nigel Farage”, he fumed.
“What he did is, he asked questions that millions of people in the country were asking.”
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Rammell hit back: “For a member of Parliament to ask those questions when in the middle of a crisis, without any evidence that there was any information being missed, was irresponsible.”
Goodwin felt Nigel was right to ask the question, and he has since been proven right.
He then called for an investigation into whether Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper knew the details that have since emerged about the stabbing suspect.
“You haven’t got a shred of evidence to back up that assertion”, said Rammell, to which Goodwin responded: “I haven’t made an assertion.”
“You have”, Rammell refuted. “You’re a very clever, well educated man. You know what you are doing.”
Goodwin hit back: “When did people know what we have since discovered? I would like to see an investigation into that.
“That’s a reasonable question. Millions of people are asking that up and down this country. It’s not unreasonable to ask that.
“That’s what’s called, finding the truth.”
His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services found that police intelligence failed to predict the “rising tide of violent disorder well enough”.
The review revealed that forces had missed opportunities to prepare for widespread unrest, underestimating earlier incidents involving “extreme nationalist sentiment”.
The riots began after Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar were fatally stabbed in Southport in July 2024, leading to more than 600 arrests nationwide.
Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke praised officers’ “immense bravery and personal sacrifice” but warned that systems needed to change.
The watchdog found that a system to move officers between forces was implemented “too late” during the riots, with mobilisation delayed by four days.
There were significant gaps in intelligence, particularly around social media and the dark web analysis, according to Chief Inspector Cooke.
Some officers were sent out in regular uniform rather than riot gear, while static lines of police faced missile attacks without sufficient numbers to make arrests.
In total, 302 officers were injured during the unrest, with 54 requiring hospital treatment.
“There is every possibility that similar violence and disorder could reoccur across the UK. The police service needs to be ready to respond,” Chief Inspector Cooke warned.
The watchdog will publish a further report in 2025 examining social media’s role in the riots.