Tugendhat: PM had mindset of Opposition during riots
Conservative leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat has criticised the prime minister's response to the far-right riots, describing the government as having the "mindset of Opposition". Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00The disorder we have seen on our streets in the past two weeks is completely unacceptable.
00:10Every single perpetrator and instigator must be investigated, prosecuted and severely punished.
00:21And as a country, we have some serious soul-searching ahead of us.
00:27This has been the government's first real test.
00:32And the Prime Minister fell short.
00:35When we needed a strong government, we got a party in the mindset of opposition.
00:42We needed a leader.
00:44We got a lawyer waiting for the case to reach court.
00:48These are early days for the government, and government isn't easy.
00:51But government isn't a game either.
00:54It is more than press releases and retweets, and you can't be wise with hindsight, something
01:00Labour mastered in opposition.
01:02You have to be determined and aware throughout.
01:05You have to be ready to do the job from day one.
01:09Once lost, public order can be difficult to regain, and social unrest can rear its head,
01:15which is why the police response to disorder must always be swift and determined.
01:21For officers on the street, policing a violent crowd is a dangerous job.
01:26We sometimes hear of the need to go softly, softly and to make arrests later.
01:30But visible lawlessness is radicalising.
01:34It encourages others to join in and to commit crime.