UK politics live: Government condemns ‘thuggish and intimidating’ far-right protesters in Portsmouth

The Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou writes:

Chancellor John Healey is preparing to deliver his first major speech in his new role, weeks ahead of his Budget announcement.

The former defence secretary is expected to tell economic institutions to back northern firms as he sets out plans to grow the economy through an “active” state.

The British Business Bank will commit up to £150 million to a new fund “to get behind the most innovative and fast-growing firms”, he is expected to say.

“This is not sentimentality, it’s supply side economics.”

The fund will will offer investments of between £5 million and £15 million to help university spin-outs and other innovative companies across the North of England expand.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight police and crime commissioner Donna Jones told the BBC’s Today programme it will be a “significant issue” for the government if people traffickers shift their destinations across England’s south coast.

Following overnight protests in Portsmouth after the arrival of around 140 migrants, she said “we’re not set up for it” in the city and the government has “invested heavily into Dover” to deal with the situation there.

The police and crime commissioner said: “We have hundreds of miles of coastline across southern England and if Dover is no longer the destination of choice, and instead there is going to be a spread across southern England, this is a significant issue for the government.

“My concern now, as a police and crime commissioner, is that we don’t have this repeated.”

The migrant protest in Portsmouth put pressure on the emergency services and required support from forces across the country, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) said.

Donna Jones said the Government needed to act to counter changing patterns from people traffickers shifting away from crossings at the Strait of Dover.

The Conservative PCC said: “Last night we had mutual aid, public order police officers sent from police forces across the country including the Metropolitan Police Service.

“We also had a number of our own police officers, obviously, from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary trying to take back control of the roads, forming a line and holding a few hundred protesters back.

“This is just the start, if this continues, these numbers will grow from the protesters.”

She said “largely they were peaceful, they were making their point that they don’t want Portsmouth to become a destination”.

The Independent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou writes:

A government minister has condemned “thuggish and intimidating behaviour” seen in Portsmouth overnight.

Hundreds of demonstrators descended on Portsmouth after around 140 migrants heading towards the Hampshire coast on a small boat were intercepted and brought ashore.

Treasury minister Emma Reynolds condemned the demonstration, saying it had “crossed the line” of peaceful protest.

“As a politician, I absolutely support the right to peaceful protest,” she told Sky News. “But this has crossed the line. This is thuggish and intimidating behaviour.”

She also told BBC Breakfast: “Obviously, the British people do have legitimate concerns about immigration, but people shouldn’t express those concerns in intimidating ways, in the way that we saw in Portsmouth overnight.”

Hundreds of demonstrators descended on Portsmouth after migrants heading towards the Hampshire coast on a small boat were intercepted and brought ashore.

Around 140 migrants are believed to have disembarked near Eastney in Portsmouth, and will be taken to Manston immigration centre in Kent for processing.

Demonstrators blocked roads for hours and vowed to stay all night in the second major anti-migrant protest of the weekend. Video footage showed protesters facing up to police and shouting “stop the boats” on Sunday evening.

The Independent’s home affairs correspondent Holly Bancroft has this report: