The government has condemned far-right protesters who blocked roads and faced up to riot police over the weekend as “thuggish and intimidating”.
Hundreds of demonstrators descended on Portsmouth over the weekend after migrants headed towards the UK coast on a small boat were brought ashore.
Riot police swarmed on the demonstrators after they blocked roads and vowed to stay all night shouting “stop the boats”. It came after a similar protest in Dover on Saturday, when masked protesters dressed in black blocked a major road out of the port.
Treasury minister Emma Reynolds condemned the demonstration, saying it had “crossed the line” of peaceful protest.
“As a politician, I absolutely support the right to peaceful protest,” she told Sky News. “But this has crossed the line. This is thuggish and intimidating behaviour.”
Chancellor John Healey will give a speech on the “new story” of the UK economy on Monday morning ahead of his Budget next month.
He will say that new prime minister Andy Burnham has set out a “clear diagnosis” of the problem and the “solution” is a “fundamental shift that starts with putting power in the right places”.
Hundreds of demonstrators in standoff against police in Portsmouth after small boat migrants brought ashore
Hundreds of demonstrators descended on Portsmouth after migrants heading towards the Hampshire coast on a small boat were intercepted and brought ashore.
Around 140 migrants are believed to have disembarked near Eastney in Portsmouth, and will be taken to Manston immigration centre in Kent for processing.
Demonstrators blocked roads for hours and vowed to stay all night in the second major anti-migrant protest of the weekend. Video footage showed protesters facing up to police and shouting “stop the boats” on Sunday evening.
The Independent’s home affairs correspondent Holly Bancroft has this report:
Hundreds of protesters descend on Portsmouth after small boat arrival
Video footage showed protesters facing up to police and shouting ‘stop the boats’ on Sunday eveningNicole Wootton-Cane7 September 2026 07:58