Keir Starmer slammed by ex-Met chief over UK riot statement: 'I'm not impressed'
Sir Paul Stephenson who served as head of the Met Police has dismissed Sir Keir Starmer's response to the riots, joining other voices condemning the PM's attitude.
Keir Starmer reflects on UK rioting following COBRA meeting
A former head of the Metropolitan Police has weighed in to criticise the Prime Minister’s response to the riots, dismissing Sir Keir’s performance as unimpressive.
Amid widespread criticism that the Prime Minister has been too slow in reacting to the last week’s rioting, Sir Paul Stephenson said he was “not hugely impressed” with Sir Keir’s preference for “strong phrases” over strong action.
Speaking on LBC this morning, Sir Paul said that the Prime Minister’s use of “phrases like standing army, ramping up, full force of the law... I rather think communities expect the full force of the to be used against thugs irrespective of who is motivating them”.
He demanded that all the thugs on the street “need to face there full force of the law”.
Sir Paul added of the Prime Minister: “I get that politicians have to make strong statements”.
"But on a personal basis I'm not impressed by it. I will be impressed by politicians continuing to support the police in the difficult job they do - that has not always been the case, has it”
Asked whether Sir Keir Starmer should have called a COBRA meeting sooner, the former Met chief said that politicians sometimes call COBRA so they can be “seen to be doing something, and I get that”.
He warned: “These meetings need a clear focus, the right experts, and that the intelligence is accurate and comprehensive”.
Sir Paul said he would support the use of water cannons if necessary to disperse rioters, and warned that any perception that cops are using two-tier policing will only add to the level of civic disturbance seen over the past week.
Sir Paul Stephenson served as head of the Met from 2009 to 2011, but stepped down just weeks before the riots of that year.
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His criticism comes as Sir Keir faces fire for taking so long to convene the first COBRA meeting to coordinate a response to the riots.
The Prime Minister failed to call one until yesterday, nearly a week after the first far-right riots started.
The Government is also refusing to recall parliament, despite demands from both the Conservatives and Reform UK.
Sir Keir is further causing anger by planning to jet off on holiday from this weekend, despite not knowing whether the riots will have been stopped by that point.
Writing in the Express this morning, Dame Priti Patel has said there is a “moral obligation” for Parliament to be recalled.
Meanwhile former Prime Minister Liz Truss said Sir Keir should be holding daily COBRA meetings to ensure he has a full grip on the law and order crisis.
The Tories have warned that Sir Keir has been too “slow of the mark” since the riots broke out last Tuesday, with shadow police minister Matt Vickers adding: “It took days for Keir Starmer to call a COBRA meeting”.
“We’re just weeks into a Labour government and already we are starting to see that Starmer may not have the mettle to face up to the challenges that come with governing.
“He has dithered and delayed, leaving vital questions hanging in the air: why did COBRA not meet last week when these mobs first hit the streets, and why did he not make sure our police forces had the support they needed straight away?”
Shadow Home Secretary agreed that the Government “should have been quicker” in its response, and COBRA should have been convened “much earlier”.
