Clearly, there are reports of expectations of further events today, up to 30 of them. Are you worried that things are going to get worse?

I think what we've seen in the last few weeks has been absolutely horrendous. It's had huge consequences for communities across the country. Around the corner from me in Middlesbrough, we've seen what those were. We've seen people's properties damaged. We've seen people assaulted. We've seen utter violence, absolutely terrible scenes with huge impacts for the community. Lots of people worried and concerned about what happens if this thing continues.

Do you step back from it all and ultimately support the government, the Prime Minister, and his response to it thus far?

Well, you know what? We need the Prime Minister and the government to succeed in tackling this issue. There's concerns out there about the fact that it took a week to get a cobra meeting together so that police could start, well, the agencies could start coordinating and ensuring we had the right people in the right places. But you know what? I welcome the fact that 400 people have been arrested. I welcome the fact we've got courts sitting round the clock to make sure that people feel the full force of the law as quickly as possible. It's the right thing to do. I wish the government well and hope that they succeed in bringing this thing to a close.

The Director of Public Prosecution, Stephen Parkinson, has said that they're willing to consider terrorism offenses, and in fact, that he's aware of at least one instance where that's already the case. What's your view on that?

I don't think it's for politicians to make decisions around what happens to people. Actually, People like me legislate. We create the law. It's there for all to see. Those people who went out there and committed those offenses, regardless of what they thought, do you know what? You can be concerned about immigration. You can be concerned about damage to a place of worship. You can become rightly concerned about all those things. It does not give you license and freedom to go out there, arm yourself, carry a knife, abuse people in the street, assault people in the street, hurl things at police officers, burn people's cars, damage people's homes. You have no right to do that. It's in the law. It's black and white. They're going to come down on you like a ton of bricks, and rightly so. In the recent years, we've given the police more powers to deal with this. We saw the Police, Crime, Sentencing in Court Bill, that brought forth tougher sentences for the people who assault emergency service workers. We've seen last year the public order bill that's given the police more powers for stop and search, more authority to tackle some of the people responsible for these things.

It's up to the CPS to get out there and make the decisions around how that law is applied.

Do you assess the police's dealing with all of this in the last week as a great job, a good job, room for improvement? What's your assessment?

I think our police officers out there in the front line are incredibly brave, incredibly determined, incredibly committed. We've seen question marks about 2T of police. You know what? Whatever Keya Starmer wants to say about who is responsible and their motivations, those questions are for him. There was a comment that he didn't comment on. He didn't make any mention of people being armed in Birmingham. Well, that's questions for him. But in real terms, on those streets out there, the law is upheld without fear or favor. Our brave police officers do what they do, day in, day out, putting themselves in harm's way to protect us. They do not deserve the abuse that's going on out there. It is right that those people responsible will face the full force of the law.

A month or so ago, shortly after the election, you said that we're a broad church as a conservative Party. The broader the better. I'm a fan of Nigel Farage. Do you still think that? Is he someone you'd welcome into your party?

I haven't seen a membership application from Nigel Farage. I think that when times like this happen, we actually need the government to succeed. We need to get behind the government, hold them to account and scrutinize, but not for opposition's sake. I think there's lots of people with lots of views about things. Having concerns about immigration does not give you the license to go out and do what we've seen on the streets out In fact, huge numbers of people do have concerns about immigration. They don't go out doing that. Those people are thugs, they're vile, and they deserve what's coming when they get to court.

I'm confused. You're critical of Nigel Farage in the last week or so or not?

I think, do you know what, Nigel Farage, you better get him on and ask him the questions about what he has and hasn't done in the last couple of weeks. I think those are for him to answer. But from my perspective, actually, I don't know that he's been necessarily involved in any of this violence, if that's what we're suggesting. I don't think he has been, but feel free to ask him.

Of course, he's not been involved in any of the violence. That's not the suggestion. But clearly, he questioned whether the police had been open with the details of the perpetrator of the South Port knife attack, something he was grilled on yesterday. But why don't we go more specifically into something that he continues to focus on, which is this idea of two-tier policing. Do you agree that two-tier policing has been going on, or are you critical of people that suggest that?

As I've said, you know what people have commented on the fact that the Prime Minister, Keya Starmer, has said things on certain parties. My view is, whoever you are, whatever your motivations, which other side of any debate you might be on, the law will be upheld by our brave police officers, regardless of what politicians say. I wouldn't mind seeing what Kiyastama has to say about what went on in Birmingham. But you know what? The police are doing the right thing. The courts are doing the right thing. Regardless of who you are, regardless of your motivations, you are going to be to account.

You don't think there's been two-tier policing?

No, I don't think there has. I think our police are doing exactly what they're meant to do in the situation, what politicians have to say they should be held to account for and their perspectives. But you know what? I looked at the public to see what went through the courts in response to what had gone through the courts. It would be helpful, actually, for more of the public to see what went through the courts in response to what had gone in Middlesbrough. I saw two people go through the courts yesterday, one being a person who turned up to protest. Actually, they'd seen the stuff online, gone down there to get involved in all this violence and disorder, and they deserve what's coming. At the same time, I saw that somebody who turned up to a counter-protest, armed with a knife, was feeling the full force of the law. That's exactly what should happen.