Charlotte Leslie issued the following statement today, condemning the riots that have spread from London to Bristol:

“These riots are absolutely abominable and I commend the policemen and women who are out working to restore order.

“But this has been brewing for years. Over the last decade and more, communities have become more and more concerned that there appears to be a minority rogue element who seem beyond the law: whether it is gangs who afflict neighbourhoods with antisocial behaviour or worse, or council tenants who behave appallingly in continual breach of their tenancy agreements – with seemingly no consequence – to the despair of their law-abiding neighbours. Now we are seeing this kind of disregard for the law writ large.

“This is a wake-up call for politics. After a decade of a disgusting abuse of the concept of human rights, where the rights of criminals are put above the victim, and appalling actions so often go unchallenged, it is time to make sure that criminal actions really do have consequences, and that the human rights of the vast law abiding majority are put first, that the rule of law is there, respected and potent, to protect the law abiding citizen.”