Sunak calls on Met Police chief Mark Rowley to rebuild trust with Jewish community
Rishi Sunak said he has confidence in Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley “on the basis that he works to rebuild the confidence and trust” of the Jewish community and wider public
The Metropolitan Police force needs to rebuild the trust of the Jewish community following a row over the handling of a pro-Palestinian march in London, the prime minister has said.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has faced calls to quit after an antisemitism campaigner was threatened with arrest at a protest at the weekend, where officers described him as “openly Jewish” and said his presence was “antagonising” demonstrators.
Rishi Sunak said he shared public outrage over exchanges between Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) and police officers.
He did however state his confidence in the Met commissioner, but said he should work to rebuild the confidence and trust of the Jewish community and the wider public.
Calls for Sir Mark to resign came from both Mr Falter and former home secretary Suella Braverman, who said he has “emboldened” anti-Semites by failing to curtail the marches.
The force issued a statement apologising for the incident, but had to apologise for its apology after suggesting opponents of pro-Palestinian marches “must know that their presence is provocative”.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has said it is “right” that the Metropolitan Police have apologised for the way officers treated antisemitism campaigner Mr Falter.
Rishi Sunak is said to be 'appalled' by Met Police officer's 'openly Jewish' comment, ITV News' Olivia Guthrie reports
Mr Sunak told reporters: “And you know what I would say about Mark Rowley and the police, they do have a difficult job, of course I appreciate that.
“But what happened was clearly wrong. And it’s right that they’ve apologised for that.
“And yes, I do have confidence in him, but that’s on the basis that he works to rebuild the confidence and trust of not just the Jewish community, but the wider public, particularly people in London but more broadly."
Although the commissioner has retained the confidence of the mayor and the government, concerns have been raised about the Met’s approach to the now-routine protests in the capital and its impact on relations with the Jewish community.
Sir Mark will meet Mr Khan on Monday to discuss “community relations” and is expected to speak to representatives of organisations including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the London Jewish Forum and the Community Safety Trust.
He will also meet Home Secretary James Cleverly in the coming days.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist has offered to meet Mr Falter to apologise to him personally.
Mr Falter said he accepted the assistant commissioner’s apology for the original Met statement, and added he had spoken to the chairman of the Met Police Federation to discuss the need for a change of leadership at Scotland Yard.
Both the mayor and the home secretary have the power to dismiss the commissioner, but sources from both the government and the mayoralty have said his job is not under threat.
Meanwhile, Mr Falter said he would turn up at the next pro-Palestinian march and encouraged other Jews and allies to join him.
His campaign has launched a “walk together” initiative to follow the route of the march and “force the police to make sure that these things are safe for Jewish people”.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “We’ve been gaslit, essentially, for months now by the Met, because the Met keeps saying ‘these things are safe, nothing to worry about, they’re brilliantly policed’, and the reality is that’s not true and it’s so badly policed, that if you are a Jew on the sideline of this thing, they have to threaten you with arrest to get rid of you.”
Government sources have sought to put pressure on Mr Khan, saying it is up to the mayor to hold Sir Mark to account.
A spokesman for Mr Khan said the Met “must have the confidence of the communities they serve and it is right that they have apologised for the way the incident was handled and their original public response”.
Sir Mark himself has reiterated the force’s apology and acknowledged that some officers’ actions had increased “concerns”.
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Ahead of a meeting with Sir Mark this week, Marie van der Zyl, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said she is not yet calling for the Commissioner’s resignation, but some serious incidents are causing the Jewish community to have a “complete loss of confidence in the police”.
She told Times Radio: “Historically, the Jewish community has always had a very good relationship with the police and I think it’s really important that we do so going forward.
“And the responsible thing to do is to put our concerns, and they have been widely, widely publicised. And it’s up to the police now to be able to tell us what they’re going to be able to do.
“And if the police feel that they need more legislation, then that’s also a matter for the government and the home secretary.”
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