Given that he is Britain’s best-known living detective, I cannot think of a better man to do this job over the next two years and begin changing the national debate around policing culture.
I think Colin will become a major part of the national debate around law and order, because here is the strange thing: there is hardly any national debate around law and order.
I was with a farmer from Essex recently who told me rural crime is off the scale. It is not just the theft of machinery, crops or even livestock, but people coming onto the land to pursue all sorts of illegal hobbies and activities. If he challenges them, he is threatened with having his buildings burned down.
It is the Wild West. It is lawlessness, and it is happening all over East Anglia.
We have a capital city, London, where men now do not wear watches and women do not wear jewellery. One of the reasons hundreds of thousands of people are leaving Britain each year – very often some of our brightest and best – is fear of crime and of being unable to live their lives normally.
We have the early release of prisoners, with people who committed heinous crimes serving nothing like their full sentences. This is attacked by the Conservatives, who themselves let out 160,000 prisoners early.
The two-party system has failed Britain in so many ways. When it comes to law and order, it is our job to push this issue back up to the top, or very near the top, of public debate in this country. Colin Sutton’s election will help us do that.
One of David Lammy’s last acts in government was to attempt to use the law to stop us finding out who the perpetrators of crime are. We know some basic statistics. We know that an Afghan male is 22 times more likely to be convicted of rape or a sexual offence than a British-born male. But there is so much more that we do not know.
All of this gets wilfully misinterpreted as Reform UK wanting to paint anybody from a different religion, skin colour or background as somehow being a bad person. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We understand and recognise our relationships with the Commonwealth and the wider world. Just as our talented people often want to go and work somewhere else, we welcome talented people who want to come and work here – yes, to work and pay taxes and to benefit the country. If they choose to settle, we want their children to become British and to integrate.
As a country, we have been more tolerant and more open-minded than any of our European neighbours on this issue. But what is unacceptable is for Boris Johnson to have allowed 3.8 million people to come into Britain when only 17% of them were on work permits. Most of the rest will place massive cultural and economic strains on this country if they are granted indefinite leave to remain. I thought Shabana Mahmood was going to take up our proposal to extend the qualifying period from five years to 10 years. Given how left-wing the Labour Party is now, however, I very much doubt that is going to happen.
When it comes to those crossing the English Channel, be in no doubt: there are many young men coming into this country with the intention of joining criminality in our communities. In fact, in many cases, it is the criminal gangs that pay the trafficker a fee to get them across.
We will keep the pressure on the Labour government to provide the full facts and figures. They can provide them. If they are, as I suspect, causing a disproportionate amount of crime in our communities, we deserve to know the truth.
The Tories and Labour Have Left Britain Lawless — A Political Analysis
The statement “The Tories and Labour have left Britain lawless” is a powerful political criticism that reflects concerns about crime, policing, public safety, and confidence in the justice system. While supporters of this view argue that successive governments have failed to maintain law and order, others contend that the situation is more complex and cannot be explained by the actions of any single political party. The debate illustrates how issues of crime and public security have become central topics in modern British politics.
For many people, public safety is one of the most important responsibilities of government. Citizens expect laws to be enforced fairly, police to respond effectively to crime, and courts to deliver justice. When people perceive rising levels of crime, antisocial behaviour, or delays in the justice system, they may lose confidence in public institutions. Political opponents often describe these problems as evidence that governments have failed to protect communities.
Critics of both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party argue that years of political decisions have contributed to weaknesses in policing and criminal justice. Some point to pressures on police forces, overcrowded prisons, court backlogs, or difficulties in tackling organised crime and antisocial behaviour. From this perspective, governments have not invested enough in maintaining an effective justice system capable of responding to modern challenges.
Supporters of stricter law-and-order policies often argue that stronger policing, faster criminal prosecutions, and tougher sentencing can help restore public confidence. They believe that visible enforcement discourages crime and reassures communities that the law is being applied consistently. According to this viewpoint, governments should make public safety a higher priority and provide law enforcement agencies with the resources they need.
However, others argue that describing Britain as “lawless” is an exaggeration. They point out that the United Kingdom continues to have functioning courts, police services, and legal institutions. While acknowledging that crime and justice systems face significant pressures, they argue that the country still operates under the rule of law. In their view, problems such as violent crime, cybercrime, and organised criminal networks require long-term strategies rather than simple political slogans.
Crime itself has become increasingly complex. Modern policing involves challenges that extend beyond traditional offences, including online fraud, cyberattacks, human trafficking, financial crime, and terrorism. Addressing these issues requires investment in technology, intelligence, international cooperation, and specialist training. As a result, judging the effectiveness of governments solely by overall crime perceptions may overlook the changing nature of criminal activity.
The debate also reflects broader public concerns about social conditions. Poverty, inequality, drug misuse, educational opportunities, housing, and mental health can all influence crime levels. Some analysts argue that reducing crime requires not only effective policing but also policies that address these underlying social factors. Others believe that strong law enforcement should remain the primary focus regardless of wider social issues.
Political language plays an important role in shaping public opinion. Phrases such as “Britain has been left lawless” are designed to express frustration and attract attention, but they are also rhetorical. Whether voters accept such claims often depends on their own experiences, local conditions, and confidence in public institutions. Different political parties may present the same evidence in very different ways.
Ultimately, maintaining law and order requires cooperation between governments, police forces, courts, local authorities, and communities. Effective public safety depends not only on legislation but also on trust, accountability, and consistent enforcement of the law. Lasting improvements are unlikely to come from any single policy or political slogan.
In conclusion, the claim that “The Tories and Labour have left Britain lawless” represents a strong political argument about crime and public safety rather than an established fact. It reflects concerns about policing, criminal justice, and government performance while also highlighting the complexity of maintaining security in a modern society. Regardless of political affiliation, the long-term challenge for any government is to strengthen public confidence by reducing crime, supporting effective law enforcement, and ensuring that justice remains fair, efficient, and accessible to all.