Starmer announces new police unit after riots

A new national violent disorder unit is to be launched to deal with rioters, Sir Keir Starmer announced on Thursday.

It comes after a crisis meeting with police chiefs following large-scale disorder in the wake of the Southport attack, which saw riots spread across the country earlier this week.

The prime minister described the unrest as the “actions of a tiny mindless minority” and condemned “far-right hatred”.

He added: “these thugs are mobile, they move from community to community, and we must have a police response that can do the same.”

During his televised speech, the prime minister pledged to establish a national capability across police forces to tackle violent disorder”.

He also condemned “violent disorder, clearly whipped up online” describing it as crime, not protest.

“We will take all necessary action to keep our streets safe”, Sir Keir continued.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.