Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to act 'further and faster' in implementing reforms following the damning Casey review. Speaking at a London press conference, Starmer criticised the government's 'hands off approach' to police reform and pledged that a Labour government would introduce mandatory national vetting rules for all forces, calling it 'extraordinary' that such measures are not already in place.
The Casey report, commissioned after the murder of Sarah Everard, found the Met to be institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic, warning there may be more officers like killers Wayne Couzens and David Carrick. Starmer said the 'biggest danger' is that the report becomes 'just another report rather than the beginning of real, lasting change'. He fully accepted the findings, describing them as 'a detailed diagnosis and a blueprint for radical reform'.
Under a Labour government, Starmer committed to specialist rape and sexual assault units in every force, domestic violence specialists in 999 control rooms, and mandatory training on bias and violence against women. He stressed that deep cultural change requires the Met to transform 'from a force to a service', adding: 'I will be relentless in demanding progress and change.'
Drawing on his experience advising on Northern Ireland policing reforms after the Good Friday Agreement, Starmer likened the scale of change needed in London to the replacement of the Royal Ulster Constabulary with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. 'If we can get Catholics to serve in Northern Ireland, I won’t expect any special pleading that the Met can’t represent modern London,' he said.
