Far-right and anti-immigration protests spike under Starmer government

The number of far-right and anti-immigration protests has increased under Sir Keir Starmer’s term as prime minister, new data shows.

Research by independent conflict watchdog ACLED showed there were 328 anti-immigrant or far-right protests in the 22 months of Sir Keir’s administration, compared with 63 during the four-and-a-half years of his Tory leadership.

ACLED said the number of protests first began to increase after the 2024 Southport attack, and that the increase was driven by online misinformation that increased tensions around refugee accommodation and immigration policy.

A month after British national Axel Rudakubana murdered three teenage girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Merseyside, race riots spread on social media, fueled by the mistaken belief that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker, have swept across the country.

Protests began to grow in double digits from May 2025, peaking with 74 attacks across the country in August last year in response to anger over asylum seekers in hotels.

It comes after an asylum seeker was arrested and eventually convicted for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman. Hadush Kebatu was staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, at the time.

Joel Crisetig, ACLED’s deputy director of research, said far-right and anti-immigration activists had been successful in turning local events like Southport or Epping into national issues.

“They were able to advance their narrative online, on social media, and rely on local activists to organize demonstrations outside hotels housing immigrants,” he said.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in London for Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march and the pro-Palestinian Nakba Day rally on Saturday. The Metropolitan Police prepared 4,000 officers for a public order policing operation across the Capital and arrested at least 43 people at both demonstrations.

After meeting police chiefs on Friday morning, the Prime Minister said: “We are in a fight for the soul of this country and this weekend’s Unite the Kingdom march is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against.”

Dr D., lecturer in public policy at Kings College London. Georgios Samara said that “the whole far-right movement in the UK has become much more organised”.

The academic argued that changes to X, formerly known as Twitter, had given the far right “an online space without checks and balances, without borders”.

Elon Musk, who takes over X in 2023, has shown support for Tommy Robinson in the past; On Saturday he reposted one of the activist’s videos, saying: “Thousands of Britons jailed just for social media posts or speaking out need to be freed! No more prison islands!”

He added that the Labor government’s policies and rhetoric had also played a role in “normalising” the far right.

“They tried to speak the far-right language that made Nigel Farage so popular for going after asylum seekers and which resulted in the rise of the far right in this country,” he said. “They closed the shelter hotels and promised to leave after receiving permission to stay indefinitely.”

Misbah Malik, HOPE head of communities and policies, not hate, said far-right views have become normalized in the UK in the last five years.

He said: “I think over the last five years we’ve seen a steady increase in the amount of anti-immigrant hostility and activity, not just from the far right, but increasingly from people who have never joined a far-right group or attended an official far-right meeting or protest.”

Ms Malik added: “We had 14 years of Conservative government. Labor had not been in power for that long and so any progress they would have tried and made would not have been immediate.”

“But I also think we need to look at the Labor government and the paths they are increasingly taking… the talking points of Reform and their increasingly embracing of far-right rhetoric.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “Peaceful protest is a fundamental part of our democratic society and people in this country will always be able to express their views freely as long as it is done peacefully and lawfully.

“There is no room for anyone who abuses this right. Those who threaten our societies, spread racism and hatred on our streets, and commit acts of violence will face the full force of the law.”