The comments made by Zia Yusuf, the Reform spokesperson, on 1 April 2026.
For the second night in a row there has been mass disorder in London.
There must not be a third.
Groups of youths should not be able to run riot through our streets.
The police should be deployed en masse as an obvious precautionary measure and arrests made immediately if disorder breaks out once again.
It’s time Sadiq Khan did his actual job.
The statement made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 1 April 2026.
The appalling scenes in Clapham in recent days are absolutely unacceptable and those responsible will face the full force of the law. Two arrests have been made and the Met is continuing to investigate.
There will be an increased police presence in the area in the coming days, with officers providing support and reassurance to residents and businesses.
The statement made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Opposition, on 1 April 2026.
Children smashing up shops in broad daylight, stealing and even filming themselves doing it as if it were a game, is a much bigger problem than is being recognised. This is a total collapse of consequences.
To those making snide comments about race or black kids – you do not see scenes like this in Lagos or Nairobi. Not because the children there are different, but because actions have consequences. There are clear boundaries. Parents, communities, and the authorities do not wring their hands or look the other way.
Here, we have created a culture where too many young people believe they can do what they like and nothing will happen. That is the problem.
And we should be honest about where that leads. If a child loots a shop today, films it for social media, and faces no real consequence, they are going to do much worse tomorrow.
This is why under my leadership Conservatives are focusing on ENFORCEMENT, not just making more and more rules.
Our Take Back Our Streets Campaign is about getting 10,000 more police officers, immediate justice and immediate punishment. But let’s be honest, this is not just a policing issue. It is a failure of authority at every level.
Parents need to know where their children are and what they are doing. Discipline should start at home, not in a courtroom.
We have also weakened the system around them. Deterrence is the backbone of criminal justice. Labour have changed the law so anyone receiving a sentence under 12 months will automatically walk free, instead receiving a suspended sentence. When people believe offences like this will not lead to meaningful punishment, we should not be surprised when more of it happens. You get more of what you tolerate.
It’s not like we haven’t been here before. In 2011, when riots spread, the Conservative response was swift and visible. People saw consequences. And behaviour rapidly changed. That is what is missing now.
This all comes down to fairness. Law-abiding people should not feel like fools while gangs smash and grab without consequence. The sad truth is the communities most damaged by this behaviour are often the very ones these young people come from.
Only one approach will fix this: clear rules, real consequences, and the confidence to enforce them.
It’s time to Take Back Our Streets and bring back a culture of enforcement.
STORY
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation after a passenger train came within seconds of hitting a track worker at Harpenden late last month. The incident happened at about 23.41 on Saturday 7 March 2026, when a Govia Thameslink Railway service travelling at 62mph on the Down Fast line was involved in a near miss with an engineering supervisor.
RAIB said the worker had entered the railway from a designated access point to place work site marker boards on the Up and Down Slow lines, which had been blocked as part of overnight engineering work between Radlett Junction and Flitwick Junction. However, forward facing CCTV showed the supervisor walking on the Down Fast line, which remained open to traffic, before jumping clear around one second before the train passed.
Investigators will now examine the sequence of events leading up to the incident, including the actions of those involved, how access to the worksite was planned and how the risks of being on or near an open railway line were being managed.
![PRESS RELEASE : Appointments to the Consumer Council for Water Board [April 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/1000074910-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 1 April 2026.
Three independent board members have been appointed to the Consumer Council for Water.
Alison Austin and Hilary Florek have begun three-year terms today (1 April 2026). Peter Judge’s three-year term will begin on 1 November 2026. These appointments have all been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, as published by the Cabinet Office. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.
The Consumer Council for Water is the independent, statutory body that represents all water and sewerage consumers across England and Wales. It provides advice and information on water matters and investigates complaints. It is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Biographies
Alison Austin
Alison Austin has extensive experience as a public sector Non-Executive Director and runs an independent sustainability consultancy supporting businesses with environmental, social and governance strategy. She spent 25 years at Sainsbury’s in roles spanning marketing, food technical, and sustainability, developing a strong understanding of consumer needs in the food sector. Since leaving Sainsbury’s 16 years ago, she has remained active in areas linking consumer interests and sustainability across both corporate and public sector organisations. Her previous roles include Non-Executive Director of the Consumer Council for Water and Independent Board Member for Seafish, where she represented Northern Ireland for six years. She has also served as a Trustee of WRAP, focusing on food waste, packaging reduction and the circular economy, and has worked with SGS UK Ltd and the Soil Association on governance of auditors for certification and accreditation standards. Alison was appointed to the Food Standards Agency’s Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes in June 2021, a role in which she represented consumers’ interests. She resigned in November 2025 to join the Agency’s Board as a Non-Executive Director.
Hilary Florek
Hilary Florek is a strategic communications and marketing specialist with extensive experience in both the public, private and third sector. She was Chair of the Marine Management Organisation from February 2018 until December 2024. She is currently Chair of North East Access to Finance and a member of the Board of Advance Northumberland. She sits as a Member of Court at Newcastle University and is the Chair of Court Steering Committee. She is a member of the Board of the Durham County Cricket Foundation and a Trustee of Lawnmowers, a Theatre Group for young people with learning difficulties. Prior to this, she was Chairman of the Port of Tyne for three years having served previously as Deputy Chairman. She also served on the Board of the Glasshouse International Centre for Music. She began her career with the Vaux Group PLC and became PR and Communications Director, a position she held until 2000 when she established her own PR and Marketing consultancy.
Peter Judge
Peter Judge’s early career was as a corporate lawyer in private practice before moving in-house to be the Legal and Procurement Director and Group Company Secretary of the Regional Development Agency, One North East (2003-2012), where he developed a reputation for strong leadership, innovation and for improving efficiency, governance and stewardship of public resources. Peter chairs the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute and is Senior Independent Governor of Northumbria University, together with a number of other non-executive roles. Peter was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Marine Management Organisation in 2019. As Attorney General of the British Overseas Territories of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2014-2017), Peter was responsible for both Governments’ legal functions including prosecution, regulation, fisheries enforcement and new legislation. He successfully sponsored an international agreement on closer cooperation between British Overseas Territories. Peter was awarded an MBE for services to Economic Development and the North East region in 2012 and named UK In-House Lawyer of the Year by The Lawyer Magazine in 2010.
![PRESS RELEASE : Cracking down on sex-based harassment in public [April 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/homeoffice-150x150.webp)
The press release issued by the Home Office on 1 April 2026.
New law will target those who harass women and girls in public because of their sex.
Everyone will be safer to walk the streets freely without fear of public sexual harassment after the government brought in a powerful new law today.
For far too long, women and girls in particular have been expected to endure obscene comments, threats of sexual violence, and unnecessary, threatening invasions of their personal space to intimidate them in public.
These behaviours can force women and girls to change their routes, routines and behaviour just to feel safe. The perpetrators can all too often leave their victims feeling anxious, shattering their confidence, and forcing them to stay on high alert just to go about their lives freely. Too often, when this behaviour goes unchecked, we know that it can form part of a wider pattern of behaviour involving more serious crimes.
This government will not tolerate this. We have declared violence against women and girls a national emergency and are using the full power of the state to tackle these crimes with the seriousness they deserve, stepping in early to stop harassment escalating into more serious violence.
The new sex-based harassment offence introduced today gives police stronger powers to act decisively. It covers intentional harassment directed at someone because of their sex including where perpetrators target women and girls in public places, including streets, parks, public transport, taxis, shops and other everyday spaces.
Crucially, the law, which began as a Private Members’ Bill brought in by Greg Clark and Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, sees perpetrators receiving tougher consequences, including up to 2 years behind bars.
The government will work closely with police, frontline organisations, and campaign groups to ensure the new law is enforced robustly.
Police will follow new statutory guidance published today so the law is applied consistently across England and Wales, ensuring offenders have nowhere to hide and face real consequences.
Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said:
The sad reality is that many women and girls have been cornered, leered at or shouted at in public, or have faced intimidating threats of violence.
Too often they’ve been made to feel like it’s their problem to manage. That is not good enough.
Instead of forcing women and girls to change their behaviour, we are going after those who choose to target and intimidate them.
These new laws put the focus on perpetrators. If you harass someone in public because of their sex, it will not be tolerated and you can face a criminal record and up to 2 years behind bars.
Rose Caldwell, the CEO at Plan International UK, said:
Everyone deserves to move through public spaces without fear. For too long, girls and young women have been left alone to navigate harassment that chips away at their confidence, dignity and freedom. Today marks a long-overdue shift that will make a genuine difference to their lives.
As the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act comes into force, we now have clear guidance that names these behaviours for what they are: illegal and unacceptable. Girls shouldn’t have to fear uninvited touching on public transport or accept that it’s ‘just the way things are’ when they get catcalled on the street.
This is a win for all those who campaigned for safer streets and really matters in a world where we are seeing women and girls’ rights increasingly under attack. We’ll keep advocating to ensure victims feel safe to report this crime and continue banging the drum that this must be paired with prevention. This includes tackling misogyny early in our schools. Without addressing root causes of sexual harassment, we won’t fix the system that holds us all back from a fairer world.
Georgia Theodoulou, Director of Advocacy at Our Streets Now, said:
As a grassroots organisation, we are extremely proud to have affected legal change in the UK, which is testament to the power of young campaigners and the MPs and lawyers who supported us over the years.
We know that whilst this sends a message that public sexual harassment will no longer be normalised for so many women and girls, the law alone will not change the problematic culture we still live in.
We will carry this success forward in our preventative education work with professionals and young people in the UK.
Michael Kill, CEO of Night Time Industries Association, said:
This is a significant and welcome step forward in tackling behaviour that has too often been normalised or dismissed. No one should feel unsafe or intimidated simply for going about their daily life, and it is right that the focus is now firmly on those who perpetrate this conduct rather than those who endure it.
From an industry perspective, particularly across the night-time economy, we recognise both the responsibility and the opportunity to support these measures. Venues, transport providers and security teams all play a vital role in creating safer public spaces, and clear legislation strengthens the framework we operate within.
However, legislation alone is not enough. Consistent enforcement, public awareness, and partnership between government, police and businesses will be key to making this meaningful in practice.
This must mark the beginning of a cultural shift where harassment is not tolerated anywhere, at any time.
Plan UK, Our Streets Now and organisations across the violence against women and girls sector have long called for stronger action on public sexual harassment, and today’s commencement delivers on what campaigners have been urging for years.
This legislation reflects the tireless work of VAWG charities, survivors and advocates who have consistently highlighted the harm caused by public sexual harassment and pushed for meaningful change.
The rollout of the law is a key delivery milestone from the government’s violence against women and girls strategy published in December, which focuses on prevention, early intervention and relentless action against offenders.
Other sweeping measures in the strategy include ensuring there are specialist rape and serious sexual offence teams in every police force to ensure rapists and serious sexual offenders are tracked down and brought to justice.
At the same time, the government is tackling violence before it starts, with new lessons to challenge misogyny and promote healthy relationships in schools, stronger guidance on teenage relationship abuse, and early intervention to challenge harmful attitudes among boys and young men.
The press release issued by the Met Police on 1 April 2026.
Officers have urged those involved in recent disorder in Clapham – and their parents or guardians – to consider the consequences of their actions, as a ‘robust and visible’ policing plan is put in place for the area this afternoon.
More arrests will be made over the coming days, following the incidents yesterday and on Saturday, as officers trawl through a significant volume of CCTV and body worn video. Just because you have not yet been arrested does not mean you will not be. Specialist officers are also working to identify those who played a leading or organising role, so that ring leaders and others encouraging this behaviour can be held to account.
The Met has a strong policing plan in place to prevent and deal with any future disorder. This includes increasing police officer numbers in the area and the use of dispersal orders, as officers take a zero-tolerance approach.
Ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, the Met has also made clear that anyone involved in similar events or caught promoting them will be dealt with decisively. We also expect social media companies to play their part by taking responsibility for content on their platforms that promotes or incites disorder.
Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond, who leads policing in the area, said:
“We recognise the concern that this incident will have caused the community in Clapham.
“We have a clear plan in place should any further disorder take place in the coming days and are in close contact with our partners and businesses in the area.
“Our officers will continue to maintain a strong, visible presence around Clapham and we will respond robustly to any reports of disorder, thefts or planned meet-ups.
“I’d urge those young people who think this is just a bit of fun to carefully consider the consequences. Events like this, fuelled by online trends and viral content on platforms such as TikTok, can quickly escalate and lead to serious outcomes. If you join in or cause further disorder, you should expect to be arrested and risk a criminal record, which can have long-lasting consequences for your future, including employment opportunities and potentially your ability to travel.
“There is widespread CCTV coverage on streets and in businesses in the area and we’re already reviewing that footage, as well as officers’ body worn video cameras, to identify those who committed offences on Saturday and last night.
“The parents/ guardians of those involved in last night’s disorder also have a role to play. I’d appeal to them to take responsibility – to be proactive in knowing where their children are and who they’re with, and to take steps to make sure they’re not involved in this sort of unacceptable antisocial behaviour.”
From around 17:00hrs last night, officers responded to reports of anti-social behaviour involving a group of several hundred young people in Clapham High Street and Clapham Common.
Young people were reported to be attempting to access shops and a restaurant on Clapham High Street. They also lit fires and set off fireworks on Clapham Common. Contrary to some reports, we did not see looting or widespread criminal damage.
Similar behaviour had taken place in the same area on Saturday night, with videos shared widely on Monday.
Acting on information suggesting plans for a repeat last night, a dispersal order was authorised in advance and additional officers were deployed to ensure any antisocial behaviour could be dealt with quickly.
Around 100 officers were involved in responding to the anti-social behaviour over the course of Tuesday evening.
Five people were assaulted, including four police officers. One officer was taken to hospital as a precaution after suffering an injury to his arm while making an arrest.
Three girls, a 17-year-old and two aged 13, were arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. The 17-year-old has been charged and bailed to appear at court later this month. The two 13-year-olds have been granted bail.
Editor’s notes:
Three teenage girls were arrested on suspicion of theft and assault following anti-social behaviour involving a large group of young people in Clapham High Street on Saturday, 28 March.
A Section 35 dispersal order allows police to direct individuals to leave a specified area for up to 48 hours if their presence or behaviour is likely to contribute to harassment, alarm, distress, crime or disorder.
STORY
The UK has renewed its call for accountability over the Israeli strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, two years after the attack. In a statement published on 1 April, Middle East minister Hamish Falconer said Britain was still pressing Israel “at the highest level” for answers over the deaths, which included three British citizens.
Falconer said the families of John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby had spent two years seeking answers about the strike on the aid convoy, which was delivering food to civilians in Gaza. He said the Government would continue to push for “transparency and accountability” and repeated its call for justice over what he described as an “appalling attack”.
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 April 2026.
Minister for the Middle East statement marking two years since seven World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike, including three British citizens.
Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said:
It has been two years since an Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza killed seven aid workers delivering food to starving civilians. Among those killed were three British citizens.
For two years, the families of Armed Forces veterans John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby have sought answers. The UK government has pressed Israel at the highest level for answers. Israel has a responsibility to provide these.
I’ve heard first-hand the pain their families have endured. So today, I repeat the UK’s call for transparency and accountability for this appalling attack – we will continue to push for justice. No aid worker should be killed doing their job providing lifesaving care to civilians living in the most dire straits.
I pay tribute to the bravery of the World Central Kitchen staff, it is vital that we do everything we can to ensure humanitarian staff can carry out their work without fear. More than 500 aid workers have lost their lives in Gaza since October 2023. Before the ceasefire, it was the most dangerous place in the world to be an aid worker.
I urge Israel to swiftly conclude and publish their findings into this attack. The families of those killed must know why this happened. Lessons must be learnt. A tragedy like this must never happen again.
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 April 2026.
Statement on Lebanon by the foreign ministers of Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, the UK and the High Representative of the European Union.
We, Foreign Ministers of Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, and the High Representative of the European Union, express our full support to the Government and people of Lebanon, who are once again suffering the dramatic consequences of a war that is not theirs. We express our condolences to the family of the victims and our solidarity to the civilian population impacted by this war both in Lebanon and Israel.
The responsibility for this situation lies with Hezbollah. We strongly condemn Hezbollah’s attacks in support of Iran against Israel, which must cease immediately. The priority is to avoid a further escalation of the regional conflict with Iran.
We support the historic and courageous decisions taken by the Lebanese Government. There is no other way to preserve Lebanon from foreign interference than by strengthening its State, its institutions and sovereignty. In that regard, we call for direct political negotiation between Lebanon and Israel, that can contribute to putting a durable end to this conflict and set the conditions for peaceful regional coexistence.
The Lebanese executive has our full support in its approach and we encourage it to continue on this path through the implementation of concrete and irreversible measures, at all levels, to restore its sovereignty over the whole Lebanese territory, including the State’s monopoly on arms. In this context, we are committed to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Lebanese Security Forces, by participating actively in the international support conference to be held as soon as conditions allow. With a view to enabling the Lebanese security forces to become the sole independent guarantors of Lebanon’s sovereignty in the long term, we also call on the Lebanese authorities to continue to adopt the necessary financial and economic reforms, in line with IMF requirements.
We call on all parties to immediately deescalate and to revert to the cessation of hostilities agreement and UN Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). We call for the protection of the civilian population, humanitarian personnel, peacekeepers, and civilian infrastructure, including airport, ports and bridges across the country, in line with international humanitarian law. We reaffirm our concern regarding the forced displacement of over 1m people in Lebanon. We call on Israel to avoid a further widening of the conflict including through a ground operation on Lebanese territory. We strongly reaffirm that the territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected.
We stand determined to continue to support the Lebanese government in providing humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict including the more than 1 million people displaced and to preserve Lebanon’s internal cohesion, building on the emergency measures already taken by our respective countries. We call on the entire international community to participate in this vital humanitarian effort to ensure dignified living conditions for the many victims of this conflict.
Finally, we reaffirm our strong support for the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in South Lebanon and call to ensure deconfliction channels remain open. We strongly condemn all recent attacks on UNIFIL contingents, which provoked unacceptable casualties among peacekeepers in recent days. We urge all parties, under all circumstances, to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises, in accordance with international law. We commend its remarkable work in these difficult conditions.