Does the PM accept the Casey review in full?
(SKY NEWS)
The Labour leader begins with a tribute to PC Keith Palmer, who was killed by a terrorist in Westminster six years ago.
Sir Keir Starmer segues to asking Rishi Sunak if he accepts the findings of the Casey review into the Metropolitan Police.
Mr Sunak says the government will be working with the London mayor and Met commissioner to ensure culture, standards and behaviour all improve.
Sir Keir says he takes Mr Sunak’s answer to mean that he does accept the report in full.
He says that the government should back Labour’s plan for proper mandatory vetting.
Mr Sunak replies that the College of Policing is updating its statutory code of practice for vetting, and that an independent report on re-inspection of all forces will be retuned within weeks.
Sir Keir says the current state of the system is the result of “sheer negligence” from the government.
He also criticises the government for not backing Labour’s plan to have “high quality rape and sexual offences units in every police force”.
Mr Sunak tries to shift some of the blame on to the Labour mayor of London, Sadiq Khan – who, as we know, oversees the Met.
The PM adds that the “way the rape victims were treated by the criminal justice system wasn’t good enough” – and that the government has worked to improve it.
Sir Keir chastises the Conservative backbenchers for cheering for their prime minster and the fact “that over 98% of rapists” are never put before the courts.
He against criticises “13 years of Tory government”, and a lack of prosecution of crimes like burglary.
The PM points out “neighbourhood crime” is down by 25% since 2019.
Sir Keir then pivots a favourite Conservative attack line back on Mr Sunak. The Labour leader says the PM is “so totally out of touch, and he needs to get out of Westminster, get out of Kensington”.
He adds that he doesn’t mean “Malibu”.
The Labour leaders says Mr Sunak needs to see the impact of low prosecutions – with 96% of burglaries not going before courts.
Mr Sunak says his north Yorkshire constituency is much further than Sir Keir’s north London seat.
He adds that crime is down, violent crime is down and burglary is down, and brands Sir Keir “soft on crime, soft on criminals”.
Sir Keir says the “only criminal investigation” Mr Sunak has been involved in is the one that saw him fined for breaking lockdown rules.
The Labour leader touts his record of prosecuting “countless rapists”.
And that is the end of their exchange. – (SKY NEWS)
