In fierce scenes aired on GB News hosted by Michelle Dewberry, Reform UK councillor Laila Cunningham clashed with Labour’s Barry Gardiner over “lawless Britain”. Cunningham shared how Reform wants to put “30,000” officers back on the street, as she claimed there is “no visible policing” in London, and they want to prosecute every single crime from now on. Gardiner partly agreed with Cunningham, before he shared disbelief that “every Reform MP voted against the crime and policing bill” as he claimed it dealt with petty crime.

In response, Cunningham said: “I don’t know about the crime and policing bill, I haven’t read it in detail, but you mentioned that under that bill they wanted to make theft under £200 a summary offence. It is already a summary offence.”

Gardiner interrupted, saying: “No, no, stop it. There’s legislation at the moment that says it is a summary offence, we were saying, ‘No, it shouldn’t be a summary offence. It shouldn’t be prosecuted in full.'”

Cunningham hit back: “Do you know what a summary offence is? You don’t because it is an offence that is tried in the magistrates’ court. It is fully prosecuted and investigated. You are referring to either way offences, which are tried in the Crown Court or the magistrates’ court. I don’t think the legislation said it’s going to make it a summary offence.”

In reaction to her well-articulated response, viewers shared their delight over the exchange, as they declared the Reform Councillor for Westminster “amazing”. One wrote: “This was brilliant TV! Well done putting Barry in his place!” Another replied: “She schooled him there.” A third replied: “Laila wiped the floor with Barry there, made him look like the right plant pot.”

Cunningham has spoken at length previously about how Reform feels that the UK “protects the offender, not the public”, as she spoke out in a MailOnline article.

She shared: “Reform’s plan is clear, simple and essential for protecting this country for future generations. We will deport all foreign prisoners, freeing up 10,400 prison spaces. We’ll recruit 30,000 new police officers over a five-year Parliament – and raise standards to ensure they’re fit to do the job.

“By scrapping all diversity, equity, and inclusion roles and regulations, we’ll pave the way to ending two-tier policing. And we’ll restore law and order through zero-tolerance policing: Investigating every reported crime and reclaiming our streets with stop-and-search in high-crime areas, targeting one in five people.”