Rishi Sunak’s claim that ‘mob rule is replacing democratic rule’ plays into the hands of conspiracy theorists

Yes - that’s right, in one of the most astonishing sentences I’ve ever heard a PM utter, Rishi Sunak appeared to claim that a mob has taken over the country … the one he governs. It’s such an extraordinary claim, it’s hard to know where to start with it.

What Sunak appears to be referring to is the pro-Palestine marches, which have become a frequent occurrence since Hamas’ murderous attack on Israelis on 7 October and the subsequent war on Gaza. During last week’s ceasefire debate, the words “from the river to the sea” were shone on the Houses of Parliament - a phrase which is considered by many to be anti-Semitic as it implies wiping Israel from the map.

MPs have been targeted in recent weeks (not all clearly linked to the war in the Middle East), with protests outside their constituency offices and homes - while two people have been charged for arson in relation to a fire at Conservative Mike Freer’s office. It was reported that Sir Lindsay Hoyle ignored Parliamentary precedent with the Gaza vote due to concerns about MPs’ safety.

While many of these events are shocking and unacceptable, sadly they are nothing new and certainly don’t show some widespread subversion of democracy. Environmental protesters have been targeting Parliament and blocking roads for years, while some of the most unpleasant scenes in recent times were when anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown campaigners screamed and grabbed at politicians, such as Michael Gove, when walking in public. 

It would have been perfectly reasonable for Sunak to reference the recent events as part of his announcement to beef up security measures for politicians. However, he rather clumsily decided to turn it into a culture war, in turn creating questions about his own ability in post.

At the twice daily briefing journalists have with Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s spokesman struggled to answer questions on our newfound overlords - the mob. First, he was asked about the apparent consensus the PM referred to, who was part of it?

The spokesman said this was the view of the public, however could not point to any polling or evidence. When asked whether any organisation had lent their support to this, he named the Community Security Trust, the charity which provides support and protection to British Jews. When asked, the CST declined to comment on the specifics, instead saying the pro-Palestine protests “subvert and inhibit normal democratic processes”.

He was then asked about the mob itself, who has formed this shady group which has taken over our democracy to run the country? Once again, we got very few specifics. These are “people who have been involved in hijacking legitimate protest” and the PM’s spokesman explained that some incidents linked to the Gaza vote were a matter of public record. However he refused to name any individuals or groups which make up this cabal.

Journalists then asked the main question, why is the Prime Minister, the leader of the country, suggesting that the UK is now under mob rule? Surely that shows he himself has lost control? To this, we were told Sunak is “reflecting the views of the public and concerns people have had in the face of the sorts of behaviour we’ve seen”. 

I asked if the Prime Minister had ever been influenced by this mob - given they have apparently supplanted democracy - and was told “no, of course not”. We were also told the police were doing “an excellent job”, despite the UK being in the grip of mob rule. Nothing really made sense.

I am certainly not disputing the threat and fear that MPs have had from protesters. Lisa Nandy revealed she has a panic button which goes directly to the police, while fellow Labour MP Andrew Gwynne told the House of Commons today that his daughter had to have a security escort to and from her sixth form college.

However, by implying the UK is under the control of these shady and unnamed powers, Sunak is playing into dangerous conspiracy theories. We saw what happened when Suella Braverman ripped up a culture war around the Cenotaph. Far right thugs showed up and brawled with police. The Prime Minister frequently talks about how politicians need to moderate their language, perhaps he should heed his own advice.

Ralph Blackburn is NationalWorld’s politics editor based in Westminster, where he gets special access to Parliament, MPs and government briefings. If you liked this article you can follow Ralph on X (Twitter) here and sign up to his free weekly newsletter Politics Uncovered, which brings you the latest analysis and gossip from Westminster every Sunday morning.