George Bunn
Guest Reporter
Reform UK's Richard Tice has demanded Labour politicians apologise for "defending" Chris Kaba.
Yesterday it emerged Kaba was a "core member" of one of London’s most dangerous criminal gangs and was directly linked to two shootings in the six days before he was shot dead by police.
Police marksman Martyn Blake, 40, shot the 24-year-old through the windscreen of an Audi Q8 as the he tried to ram his way past police cars on September 5 2022. Earlier this week, Blake was cleared of murder at the Old Bailey.
Officers did not know who was driving the Audi on the night Kaba died, but they did know it had been used as a getaway car in a shooting in Brixton, south London, the night before.
Now, the deputy leader of Reform UK has called for Labour MPs to apologise for "siding" with Kaba.
He wrote on social media: "Labour politicians should apologise for siding with brutal violent gangster - Thug Kaba shot at rival in nightclub just days before.
"We were misled & misinformed - tensions & protest would have been avoided if truth been told early."
An application had been made by Kaba’s mother Helen Lumuanganu to keep a ban on revealing the details in place until after any future inquest into her son’s death. However, this was rejected after the media successfully challenged the bid.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said that firearms officers "deserve our and the public’s gratitude for their bravery...it is obviously crucial that the police have the ability to use their powers with legal certainty and clarity, all in balance with the public’s need to see accountability".
Home Secretary to complete review into accountability of firearms officers
Yvette Cooper will revive and complete a probe into how firearms police officers who take fatal shots in the line of duty are held to account.
The Home Secretary is expected to make a Commons statement on the review into the accountability of firearms officers, days after police marksman Martyn Blake, 40, was cleared of the murder of Chris Kaba.
Suella Braverman pledged to review the ways that firearms officers who take fatal shots are held accountable when she was home secretary in 2023.
Plans to give swifter decisions to suspended officers and more clarity to victims were among the changes touted by the previous government. Tory ministers also considered raising the threshold for referring firearms officers for prosecution.
Liberal Democrats SLAM Ofwat for water company failings - 'a busted flush!'
Lib Dem deputy leader and St Albans MP Daisy Cooper said: "We think that Ofwat is a busted flush, it needs to be replaced with a regulator that has teeth. We want to see an end to bonuses being paid until sewage dumping stops and we want the companies to be reformed as well."
Asked how their proposals would keep and attract shareholders to the industry, she said: “We think it would be the wrong thing to do to nationalise these companies – it would take a long time and cost a huge amount of money for the taxpayer, which would not be acceptable.
"But if you transform them into public benefit companies, they continue to make profit, but they are required in law to meet their environmental principles before they can make profit, and that would enforce these companies to continue to be able to attract private investment, to keep their shareholders happy, but not at the expense of our environment or billpayers."
Rayner vs Dowden at DPMQ's later today
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will go head to head with her opposite number, Oliver Dowden at Deputy Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon.
It is the first time Rayner has held DPMQ’s since Labour came to power, with Sir Keir Starmer attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.
The Conservatives will most likely to press Rayner about the government's flagship workers' rights law after its own impact assessment suggested it could cost businesses up to £5billion a year.
Starmer insists Trump relationship not in jeopardy amid interference claims
Donald Trump''s website has announced an official complaint has been filed with US federal election officials, claiming the Labour Party had "made, and the Harris campaign has accepted, illegal foreign national contributions".
The complaint follows reports of senior Labour officials meeting with Kamala Harris’ campaign, and Labour Party staffers volunteering on the ground for her campaign.
Asked if it was a mistake for senior staffers to have met with the Harris campaign, Starmer insisted any members of his party were in the US on an entirely voluntary basis, similar to in previous elections.
He said: "That’s what they’ve done in previous elections, is what they’re doing in this election. And that’s really straightforward."
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