The impact of the far-right riots seen across the UK could be felt for “months and years to come”, the justice secretary has warned.
Shabana Mahmood made the remarks in a piece for The Observer as courts have been working extended hours to deal with rioters who were charged by police during the disorder.
Far-right violence broke out in towns and cities across the UK in the wake of a stabbing attack that left three girls dead in Southport on Monday 29 July.
False rumours were circulated online claiming the suspect was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said on Saturday that a total of 779 people have been arrested over the riots.
Of those, 349 have been charged.
Ms Mahmood said: “The justice system has shown it can rise to this challenge. Should further criminality and disorder ensue, we will continue to deliver justice, until the last offender languishes in one of our jails.
“But we must make no mistake. Rising to this challenge has been made harder by doing so within the justice system we inherited from the Conservatives.”
Ms Mahmood said there are “record Crown Court backlogs” and prisons are “close to overflowing”.
“The impact of these days of disorder will be felt for months and years to come. They make the job of rebuilding the justice system harder,” she added.
In the wake of the riots, pupils will be taught how to spot extremist content and fake news online in a revamp of the curriculum, the education secretary has said.
Bridget Phillipson told the Telegraph that children as young as five would be given critical thinking skills to identify misinformation online under the new plans.
Lessons such as English, ICT and maths will be used to “arm” pupils against “putrid conspiracy theories”, she said.
Meanwhile, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Stephen Parkinson, told The Sunday Times hundreds of violent rioters will continue appearing in courts across the country in the coming days.
The newspaper also reported the CPS is considering charging people with the more serious offence of rioting, which could lead to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Many charged so far have been prosecuted for violent disorder, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Sky News understands Sir Keir Starmer has cancelled his holiday as protests continue to take place across the country.
But, for a fourth day in a row, anti-racism protesters far outnumbered far-right demonstrators in several areas.
