Rachel Reeves has been in the US this week trying to lure investment into the UK. Good luck with that, chancellor. With racist riots occurring nightly, it is perhaps not the best time to be declaring that Britain is open for business.

Rather, the message likely to be picked up on the other side of the Atlantic is that Britain is awash with thuggery, that xenophobia is rampant and that the country’s economy is broken. The government seems to have been taken by surprise by the far-right violence.

Britain is not remotely close to the “inevitable” civil war Elon Musk has been talking about, but it says something when Nigeria, Australia and Indonesia start cautioning their citizens about the dangers of travelling to the UK. The hatred shown on the streets has been vile and shocking, and threatens to do serious damage to Britain’s international reputation.

Let’s be clear: mass arrests followed by punitive sentences are necessary and justified. Rioters are responsible for their own actions – and what they are doing is criminal, pure and simple. I was a magistrate back in 2011, the last time there was serious widespread disorder, and the message received from on high was that we should crack down hard. A similar message will have gone out this time, with harsh sentences meted out for offences that would normally be........

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