Nick Ferrari clashed with the home secretary Yvette Cooper on Monday morning over the lack of protection for migrant hotels amid the unrest from the far-right.
Violent protests have taken place across the country in the last week, prompted by the fatal Southport stabbings and general anger over migration in the UK.
Hotels accommodating asylum seekers in Rotherham were even set on fire, and 700 people targeted the town’s Holiday Inn Express.
LBC host Ferrari asked Cooper if she had spoken to the chief constable of South Yorkshire about why there was not extra protection around that particular hotel before they were targeted.
The LBC presenter pointed out that the attack had been publicised online 48 hours in advance.
Cooper maintained that those “operational decisions” are for police forces, but Ferrari pushed: “Why was there no exclusion zone around that hotel? How did the chief constable respond to that question? Or have you not asked?”
Cooper said: “The South Yorkshire police did deploy additional police officers to the hotel, they were also deploying additional officers to Sheffield at that time as well, when there was other disorder taking place, but what they had to deal with in Rotherham was the most appalling –”
“Home secretary! Home secretary! Home secretary! Home secretary!” Ferrari cut in, speaking over Cooper. “That was promoted 48 hours in advance.
“For the third time, why did South Yorkshire Police senior officers not put an exclusion zone around that hotel, which – as you will be aware home secretary, that is normal, standard operating police procedure.”
As the minister dodged the question again, Ferrari asked again, with emphasis, what did the chief constable say – before concluding: “You’ve not asked her have you, home secretary?”
Cooper replied: “Nick, Nick, hang on – the decisions are operational, and it’s my responsibility to make sure the police have everything that they need and also that they have the support they need to do so.”
Ferrari continued with his line of questioning, asking the same point five times.
He said: “I find it extraordinary the lives of asylum seekers could have been put at risk in a hotel that was identified as the source of a demo and South Yorks didn’t decide to put an exclusion zone around it.
“I find that staggering.”
Cooper just said, the issue was “making sure they have enough police to respond to the circumstances”.