Once again a Met Police commissioner is stuck in the middle of policing and politics. So what happens now?
In the Venn diagram of policing and politics, it’s often the Met Police commissioner who gets trapped in the middle.
And so once again, Sir Mark Rowley is being pushed and pulled between the public order decisions made by his officers on the ground and the extensive public and political examination that follows.
In the case of the high-profile interaction between Gideon Falter of the Campaign Against Antisemitism and an officer policing the pro-Palestinian march in London last Saturday, the best vantage point we have is the footage filmed by a Sky News camera crew at the demonstration.
Politics latest: PM ‘appalled’ at Met Police ‘openly Jewish’ exchange
Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley is facing calls to resign. Pic: PA
The footage shows a lengthy and bad-tempered discussion, with the officer accusing Mr Falter of purposefully leaving the pavement and walking on the road against the flow of protesters.
“You are looking to try and antagonise… I can already see what your mindset is,” the officer says at one point.
Mr Falter disagrees, saying he is simply trying to cross the road and “get out of here”.
The officer replies that if that’s the case, he’s happy to escort him and his group safely around the march.
However, Mr Falter asks: “Why can’t I just walk where I want to walk?”, before adding “the Metropolitan Police says these marches are completely safe for Jews… you’re telling me… I have to be escorted by you.”
This is really the key point.
The officer has clearly decided the best way to reduce the chance of public disorder and keep everyone safe is for Mr Falter and his group to make a diversion around the march.
Further sections of the Sky News footage show why this calculation was likely made.
Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators are clearly heard aggressively shouting “baby killer” and “scum” towards the group.
Given this, it’s clearly uncomfortable that those who are being subject to abuse are also being asked to make concessions.
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Coutinho: Met has ‘got it wrong’
But this also taps into wider anxieties within the UK’s Jewish community that have led to security being boosted at synagogues and Jews covering up symbols of their religion in public.
None of this was helped by the use the term “openly Jewish” by the police officer in question and the subsequent flat-footed half-apology where the Met appeared to suggest someone’s religion could – in itself – be a provocation.
Despite all this, the force would no doubt still point to its operational on-the-ground priority to keep the peace and minimise potential civil unrest.
So where does this go now?
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Met resignation is ‘not the way forward’
Answering that involves picking apart the somewhat hazy lines of accountability flowing up and out of the Met, with oversight from both the Labour mayor of London and the Conservative home secretary.
Cabinet ministers are on the record saying this is now the responsibility of Sadiq Khan.
That’s an unsurprising political move considering the London mayoral elections are a little over a week away, but it’s somewhat undermined by the fact that the policing minister has already said he’s hauling in the commissioner in the coming days.
The view in City Hall clearly matters though, especially given it was the mayor who controversially forced out the last commissioner.
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‘Time for Mark Rowley to go’
But all the signs are that’s not going to happen again, as we are told Mr Khan does still has confidence in the Met boss.
In that context, it’s hard to see the government unilaterally moving to try and change the leadership.
More likely is a re-sparking of the broader political debate over the bandwidth that should be allowed for pro-Palestinian protests, given the impact they have on the UK’s Jewish community.
What that rests on is the friction created when the right to protest rubs up against the right to express one’s religion – and crucially, how the police arbitrate between those competing and at-times contradictory freedoms.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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