Just a few months ago, I was at the Manvers Holiday Inn for a local trader’s market. There were more than 50 brilliant local businesses selling handcrafted goods, families enjoying the day and a real buzz throughout.
Yet, two years ago the hotel became the focus of some of the worst scenes of violent disorder witnessed anywhere in the country. A wave of division had swept across the nation and reached our doorstep. Such a far cry from the buzz of the trader’s market.
The violence brought unwanted national attention to Rotherham. Once again, our town found itself in the headlines for the wrong reasons. But while those scenes captured national attention, they did not define who we are.
On the afternoon of the riots, I joined South Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service at the Manvers operational base set up to coordinate the response and provide relief for the frontline emergency officers. Into the evening, other forces joined to support local officers, many attacked and injured. Days later, I spoke with officers who gave harrowing accounts of the violence they encountered. For some it had been their first deployment on operations.
I did the same with hotel staff. They had been forced to barricade themselves into the hotel’s kitchen whilst rioters smashed the ground floor up, entered rooms, broke windows and damaged the lift well. Most horrifying of all, they tried to set the hotel on fire with staff and asylum seekers fearing for their lives still inside.
Many of the staff, including manager Emma, are long serving, all are local. They know the residents on the Manvers estate and the wider area. They have stuck by the hotel and our community. Their resilience and determination to see the business through couldn’t be further from the events of the day. Their perseverance speaks far more about the character of this community than the actions of those who sought to tear it apart. And since its first day as an asylum hotel, I’ve worked closely with the hotel’s owners to secure its refurbishment and reopening to the public, symbolising their commitment to help Manvers move forward.
Many who got involved in the violence that day thought they could just walk away. They were wrong. 120 people have now been convicted for the role they played. The police and criminal justice system have worked hard to deliver the justice deserved. The final prosecution was completed a matter of weeks ago.
I know the strongly-felt concerns on immigration and asylum—the motivation for many who came that day —haven’t gone away. And it’s our job in Government to deal with that. To tighten the borders. To remove those who have no right to stay in the UK. And to ensure asylum seekers are swiftly processed with the dignity they deserve, whilst honouring our commitment to end the use of hotels, with a third now closed since Labour was elected in 2024.
However, sentences were not passed down for people’s views on this. They were passed down because of their actions. They attacked police, they damaged property, they broke the law.
I will defend the rights of anyone to express their views and engage in political debate. But there will never be any justification for violence and criminal behaviour. We must be able to discuss difficult issues without allowing division and hatred to ensue.
They rocked our community; families left in fear and businesses worried about the impact on trade. But as Rotherham folk always do, we dust ourselves down, pull together and move forward as one.
It’s a huge privilege to serve as MP for our area. I know so many people, groups and organisations who make this a wonderful place to live. On Yorkshire Day, I joined residents at Manvers Lake for a community celebration of everything that makes our county special. It was a fitting reminder that Rotherham is defined not by a single day of disorder, but by the everyday generosity and spirit of the people who live and work here.
We have a proud history, a rich culture and so much strength for the future. Major regeneration is transforming parts of our borough, including here in Wath. The events of two years ago were shocking, but they have not altered the direction in which our town is travelling.
The riots tested our community. What has followed has shown it at its very best. We have moved on. And together, we will continue building a stronger future for Rotherham.