Hundreds of protestors dressed in black and wearing balaclavas descended on Dover and Portsmouth in protest at small boat crossings over the weekend
Andy Burnham has told Labour MPs they must “counter fear with positivity and hope” after violent anti-migrant protests erupted over the weekend(Image: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Andy Burnham has told Labour MPs they must “counter fear with positivity and hope” after violent anti-migrant protests erupted over the weekend.
In his first address to the Parliamentary Labour Party, the new Prime Minister told his colleagues there is “a lot at stake” and that they have “a solemn responsibility to prevent the politics of poison” spreading across Britain.
Hundreds of protestors dressed in black and wearing balaclavas descended on Dover and Portsmouth in protest at small boat crossings over the weekend. The Government has condemned any “thuggish and intimidating” behaviour after scenes turned ugly, with several officers assaulted and police vehicles damaged.
After referencing the protests, Mr Burnham said there was a need to focus on “positivity and hope”. He told Labour MPs: “There’s a lot at stake and it requires us to counter fear with positivity and hope. We have a responsibility in the times that we’re living in.
“It’s a solemn responsibility to prevent the politics of poison seeping into our streets. We are here to speak to the politics of hope and of positivity.”
Mr Burnham said that for generations the Labour Party has had a proud record of bringing hope to people. He continued: “We have to fulfil our historic mission all over again and bring hope to a divided country. To lift people and make them feel that things are possible. That we can make people’s lives better. Make them feel that politics can work.
“We can give people a sense of positivity again. We can change this country for the better. Never accept the narrative that there’s nothing we can do.”
At the end of September, Mr Burnham will address his first Labour conference as party leader. Looking ahead, he told MPs: “At conference I will lay out in more detail what this phase of this Labour government is going to be about. One thing is for absolute certain: it’s going to be about bringing back hope, bringing back hope in your community, in your constituency, and to the country.”
Mr Burnham took some 29 questions from Labour backbenchers in a packed committee room in Parliament. Cabinet ministers including Chancellor John Healey, First Secretary of State Lou Haigh and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband were in attendance.
Elsewhere, the PM earlier held a phone call with Donald Trump, where the pair agreed on the need to work towards a ceasefire in Ukraine, as well as peace and security in the Middle East.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “On Ukraine, the two leaders agreed on the need to continue working towards a ceasefire that prevented more loss of life. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s support for Ukraine and for recent US-led peace negotiations.
“On the Middle East, the Prime Minister set out the UK’s commitment to working towards peace and security in the region, stressing the importance of the Two-State Solution, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
