Sadiq Khan has full confidence in Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley despite him facing calls to quit over the force’s handling of a recent pro-Palestine protest, Sky News understands.
It comes as a government source said Rishi Sunak was “appalled” at the incident – in which an officer was captured on video calling a man “openly Jewish”.
Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho told Sky News that the incident in London was “completely wrong” and that “what happens next” with regard to Sir Mark was a “matter for the Labour London mayor”.
A spokesperson for the London mayor said: “Everybody must feel safe going about in London wherever they please. The way the original incident was dealt with by the Met was concerning and the original response put out by them was insensitive and wrong.
“The Met have an extremely difficult job – particularly so when it comes to operational decisions taken while policing marches.
“But in the end 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.”
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14:38
Coutinho: Met has ‘got it wrong’
Sky News understands that Sir Mark does still retain the confidence of Mr Khan, who as mayor has the power to effectively sack the commissioner – but can only do so with the permission of the home secretary, who can also require the mayor to dismiss the head of the Met.
Mr Rowley, who replaced Cressida Dick as Met commissioner in 2022, is facing calls to quit following the officer’s interaction with Gideon Falter, the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
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In the video, an officer appears to prevent Mr Falter from crossing the road and tells him: “You are quite openly Jewish. This is a pro-Palestinian march. I am not accusing you of anything, but I am worried about the reaction to your presence.”
Mr Falter, who was wearing a yarmulke and said he was simply walking past after attending synagogue, was then threatened with arrest if he did not leave the area.
He told Sky News that Londoners cannot have confidence in the Met under Sir Mark’s leadership and accused the commissioner of “victim blaming” following the incident, for which he has received two apologies.
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0:43
New video of ‘openly Jewish’ row
Mr Falter was joined in his call for Sir Mark to go by former home secretary Suella Braverman, who said there had been “failure after failure by the Met” over the last six months.
In an interview with Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Ms Coutinho repeatedly declined to say whether Sir Mark should quit following the incident, but said what happened was “completely wrong”.
“It’s not right that one group of people in society should be told they can’t go around their daily lives because it might be a provocation to someone else,” she said.
“That’s not how equality works in this country.
“So I do think they’ve got it wrong. I think it’s right that they’ve apologised, and ultimately, what happens next is a matter for the Labour London Mayor who has the responsibility to hold the Met to account.”
On Sunday morning, the Board of Deputies of British Jews said it would meet Sir Mark following “a series of high-profile errors” regarding its policing of pro-Palestinian marches.
“The entirely avoidable mistakes have had a devastating effect on the previously high level of trust held by the UK’s Jewish community in the police”, a statement from the group read.
As well as the Board of Deputies, Sir Mark will meet the Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust (CST) next Thursday. The Campaign Against Antisemitism has told Sky News it is not attending the meeting.
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13:36
Met resignation is ‘not the way forward’
Labour’s shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Met had “not covered themselves in glory” over the incident with Mr Falter but that she did not agree with calls for Sir Mark to resign.
“I can understand the strength of feeling and as I say that footage was very concerning, and I can understand where Mr Falter is coming from,” she told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.
“But I don’t think that the resignation of the Met’s commissioner is the way forward.”
Europe must “ramp up” pressure on Russia “to bring an end to this barbaric war”, a Downing Street spokesperson said after Sir Keir Starmer chaired a meeting with the Coalition of the Willing.
Earlier, the prime minister met with Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Downing Street for crisis talks on the future of Ukraine.
After the Downing Street meeting, a spokesperson said Sir Keir “convened a call with other European allies alongside President Zelenskyy”.
“The leaders all agreed that now is a critical moment and that we must continue to ramp up support to Ukraine and economic pressure on Putin to bring an end to this barbaric war.”
Image: Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street. Pic: Reuters
During the earlier meeting, the Downing Street spokesperson said that the leaders “discussed the importance of the US-led peace talks for European security and supported the progress made”.
All four “underscored the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which includes robust security guarantees,” the spokesperson added.
“The leaders agreed that, while diplomatic efforts continue, Europe must stand with Ukraine, strengthening its ability to defend against relentless attacks that have left thousands without heat or light,” they said.
“They also discussed positive progress made to use immobilised Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction.”
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0:27
Mr Zelenskyy arrives at Downing Street
After arriving in the UK, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram that “we are joining our efforts to end this war with a decent peace for Ukraine” and that “security must be guaranteed”.
He later said: “We can’t manage without Americans, we can’t manage without Europe and that is why we need to make some important decisions.”
The discussions come as US President Donald Trump accused Mr Zelenskyy of having failed to read the latest peace plan.
He said he was “a little disappointed” in the Ukrainian leader, while insisting Russia’s Vladimir Putin was “fine with it”.
When asked directly if he believed the US president would walk away from Ukraine, he answered: “I think he may, what’s good about my father and what’s unique about my father is you don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s unpredictable.”
Image: Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir had earlier insisted any ceasefire must be “just” and “lasting”, adding: “We are at a critical stage in the push for peace.
“The principles remain the same. We stand with Ukraine, and if there is to be a ceasefire, it needs to be a just and lasting ceasefire.”
Mr Macron had insisted Ukraine’s allies have “a lot of cards” – but the main issue was to “finalise these peace negotiations” and find the “best possible conditions for Ukraine, for the Europeans, and for collective security”.
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1:07
Why the meeting in London is important
Moments after arriving at Downing Street, Mr Merz said he was “sceptical about some of the details in documents coming from the US” but that was one of the reasons for Monday’s talks.
The four European leaders emerged from Downing Street at around 2.20pm for a group photo – but declined to answer any questions from the media.
Sir Keir and Mr Zelenskyy then went back inside the prime minister’s residence for further talks while Mr Macron and Mr Merz departed.
The London meeting comes after Mr Zelenskyy’s officials concluded three days of talks with US diplomats.
Over the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy said he had discussed “next steps” with Mr Trump’s advisers and was “determined to keep working in good faith”.
According to Vatican sources, the Ukrainian president will next meet with Pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence outside of Rome, on Tuesday morning.
Arne Slot has said he has “no clue” whether Mohamed Salah has played his last game for Liverpool.
The 33-year-old forward told journalists after Saturday’s 3-3 Premier League draw at Leeds – his third game not starting for Liverpool this season – that he has been“thrown under the bus” by the club, and his relationship with head coach Slot had broken down.
When asked at a press conference on Monday whether Salah has played his last game for the club, Slot said: “I have no clue. I cannot answer that question at this moment in time.”
Slot did add that “I’m a firm believer there’s always a possibility to return for a player”, but told reporters: “It was a surprise to me when I heard he gave the comments he gave.”
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0:52
Salah trains despite Slot row
The Liverpool boss was asked whether Salah could come back into contention for Saturday’s Premier League game with Brighton at Anfield and the Dutchman says that is a decision which would be taken after the Inter game on Tuesday night.
Slot also said that “I would have to find out why he said what he said” when asked whether the row could have been avoided.
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“I have to guess a little bit. Is it because he doesn’t play? Is it about me not playing him? What could I do differently? Playing him. Maybe that is not the reason he thinks and feels this way.
“He has the right to feel what he feels but he doesn’t have the right to share it with the media. He does, but then it is up to us to react on it.”
The forward is due to travel to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Egypt on 15 December and has been linked with a January move to the Saudi Pro League.
Heavy rain and flooding, bringing possible “danger to life,” have been forecast for parts of Wales and England on Tuesday as Storm Bram hits the UK.
Amber warnings have been issued by the Met Office for large areas of South Wales and Cornwall from midnight to 10am on Tuesday.
Heavy rain will build from Monday evening, continuing through the night and into Tuesday morning, with between 50mm (two inches) and 75mm (three inches) falling over around nine hours.
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As much as 100mm (four inches) may fall in a few exposed locations, forecasters said.
Deep or fast-flowing floodwaters are possible, causing damage to buildings and flooding homes and businesses, with roads cut off and travel disrupted.
Parts of northwest Scotland were already under an amber warning on Tuesday for “very strong” winds reaching as high as 90mph (145kmh) from 4pm until the end of the day.
Flying debris “could result in a danger to life” – and there could be damage to buildings and homes along with the risk of roofs being “blown off” due to the “very strong and disruptive winds”, the Met Office warned.
Forecasters added there was the potential for large waves and beach material “being thrown” across sea fronts, roads and properties.
Storm Bram, named by the Irish weather service Met Eireann, could bring more than half a month’s rainfall to some parts of the UK in just a 24-hour period, the agency said.
Yellow warnings for rain have also been issued for most of Wales, the South West and the central belt of Scotland, the Met Office said.
Yellow and orange warnings are in place across Ireland on Monday and Tuesday, with “very strong to gale force” winds forecast on Tuesday.
Image: Yellow and amber weather warnings for Tuesday. Pic: Met Office
The Met Office said strong winds forecast from Monday evening through until Wednesday could cause disruption, with gusts of 50-60mph (80-97kmh) predicted widely and 70-80mph (113-129kmh) in some places.
A yellow weather warning for rain comes into force from 6pm on Monday, and will be in place until 2pm on Tuesday, covering parts of southwest England and Wales, and stretching to parts of Herefordshire and Hampshire.
The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for high winds from Dorset to Cornwall and up to North Wales, in place from 10pm on Monday until 4pm on Tuesday.
It said transport networks could face disruption, with delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges, and coastal roads and seafronts affected by spray and large waves. Power outages are also possible.
Strong winds and rain can also cause delays to air and ferry transport, alongside road and train journeys.
From 6pm on Monday, up to 40mm of rain could fall in some areas, with 60-80mm of rain over Dartmoor and high ground in South Wales, which would amount to more than half the average monthly rainfall in December.
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The predicted rainfall across southwest England and South Wales is expected to hit already saturated ground and could lead to difficult travel conditions.
There are also further yellow warnings for wind and rain on Tuesday across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and northern England.
Yellow warnings for wind have been issued for Scotland and parts of northern England on Wednesday.
Met Office chief forecaster Dan Suri said the storm “will bring a very wet and windy spell of weather, with very strong winds and further heavy rain which falling over saturated ground, could cause flooding impacts”.
He said gusts of “up to 90mph could be recorded” within the amber wind warning over northwest Scotland, while “gusts of 50-60 mph, and perhaps 70mph in a few spots, are expected across Wales, southwest England and Northern Ireland”.
The Met Office said it is possible 100mm [of rain will fall] over higher ground in the south of Wales and parts of Devon.