Diane Abbott: Mother of the House calls for recall of parliament amid UK riots

A veteran left wing Labour MP has urged the recalling of parliament from summer recess amid the ongoing violent far-right riots gripping the country.

Diane Abbott, who has been Mother of the House – the longest continuously serving female MP – since the general election, posted the call for parliament’s return on X (formerly Twitter).

She posted: “Anti-immigrant rioters on the rampage and attacking police. We need to recall Parliament.”

Abbott is the not the only high profile parliamentarian to issue such a call, with Zarah Sultana – who lost the Labour whip last month – also posting the same plea.

Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage has also issued a statement calling for the recall of parliament for a “proper debate.”

The Cabinet Office did not immediately respond to request for comment.

It comes after far-right riots have rocked several towns and cities across the country following a knife attack in Southport last week.

The Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the violence, which has hit places including Middlesborough, Rotherham and Sunderland, as “far-right thuggery”.

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He said: “The community of Southport had to suffer twice. A gang of thugs got on trains and buses, went to a community which is not their own – a community grieving the most horrific tragedy, and proceeded to throw bricks at police officers who had just 24 hours earlier had been having to deal with an attack on children in their community.

“Make no mistake – whether it is in Southport, London or Hartlepool, these people are showing our country exactly who they are.

“I will not permit a breakdown of law and order on our streets. It’s not protest, it’s not legitimate, it’s crime – violent disorder.”

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