James Saunders
Guest Reporter
Sadiq Khan has come under fire for refusing to apologise to Martyn Blake, the Met Police firearms officer acquitted of the murder of Chris Kaba.
Just weeks ago, Blake had been found not guilty of gang member Kaba's murder in September 2022 - a decision the Mayor of London said he "respected".
After the verdict, Khan offered his "heartfelt sympathies to Chris Kaba's family, friends and the wider community" and said he understood the "impact Chris Kaba's death has had on London's communities".
He extended similar platitudes shortly after Kaba's death and when the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to prosecute Blake.
As a result, the Mayor had faced accusations of not doing enough to support the under-fire Met Police - which today have cropped up again.
Speaking at a London Assembly session today, Tory assembly member Susan Hall said: "I asked Sadiq Khan repeatedly whether he would apologise to the Firearms Officer and his family for his handling of and response to the Chris Kaba shooting.
"Repeatedly, he refused to do so.
"Our police deserve to police with the support of elected officials to have the confidence to do their jobs fully.
"The Mayor and Greater London Assembly authorities were quick to link the death of Chris Kaba to racism, without respect to the importance of handling such an important case delicately.
LATEST ON SADIQ KHAN'S LONDON:
"Londoners deserve better. The Met Police deserve better, especially firearms officers. London's black community deserves better.
"Sadiq Khan is the Police and Crime Commissioner - and today has shown a shocking dereliction of his responsibilities to London."
Asked whether he remembered being briefed about Kaba's criminal background, Khan told the London Assembly that he didn't remember a briefing to this effect.
Khan was also pushed on giving his sympathies to Kaba's friends and family - though his response left it unclear whether he was aware at the time that some of those friends may also have been involved with the "67 Gang", linked to several murders in the capital.
Fellow Conservative assembly member Lord Bailey said: "I brought the concerns of black parents across our capital to the Mayor's doorstep to ask him to consider the impact that words like his have on the safety of our children who live under a constant threat of violence and gang activity.
"Parents like myself are rightfully fearful for them.
"Instead he responded with petulance, politicking, and game-playing.
"How he thinks that his childish dismissal of these concerns is appropriate is beyond me."
Also at today's session was Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who, when questioned, suggested it was standard practice to brief the Mayor on the background of those involved.
But he conceded that he did not remember the briefing - as it coincided with the Met's large-scale efforts to organise and carry out Operation London Bridge at the time of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
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Just weeks ago, Blake had been found not guilty of gang member Kaba's murder in September 2022 - a decision the Mayor of London said he "respected".
After the verdict, Khan offered his "heartfelt sympathies to Chris Kaba's family, friends and the wider community" and said he understood the "impact Chris Kaba's death has had on London's communities".
He extended similar platitudes shortly after Kaba's death and when the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to prosecute Blake.
As a result, the Mayor had faced accusations of not doing enough to support the under-fire Met Police - which today have cropped up again.
Speaking at a London Assembly session today, Tory assembly member Susan Hall said: "I asked Sadiq Khan repeatedly whether he would apologise to the Firearms Officer and his family for his handling of and response to the Chris Kaba shooting.
"Repeatedly, he refused to do so.
"Our police deserve to police with the support of elected officials to have the confidence to do their jobs fully.
"The Mayor and Greater London Assembly authorities were quick to link the death of Chris Kaba to racism, without respect to the importance of handling such an important case delicately.
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"Londoners deserve better. The Met Police deserve better, especially firearms officers. London's black community deserves better.
"Sadiq Khan is the Police and Crime Commissioner - and today has shown a shocking dereliction of his responsibilities to London."
Asked whether he remembered being briefed about Kaba's criminal background, Khan told the London Assembly that he didn't remember a briefing to this effect.
Khan was also pushed on giving his sympathies to Kaba's friends and family - though his response left it unclear whether he was aware at the time that some of those friends may also have been involved with the "67 Gang", linked to several murders in the capital.
Fellow Conservative assembly member Lord Bailey said: "I brought the concerns of black parents across our capital to the Mayor's doorstep to ask him to consider the impact that words like his have on the safety of our children who live under a constant threat of violence and gang activity.
"Parents like myself are rightfully fearful for them.
"Instead he responded with petulance, politicking, and game-playing.
"How he thinks that his childish dismissal of these concerns is appropriate is beyond me."
Also at today's session was Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who, when questioned, suggested it was standard practice to brief the Mayor on the background of those involved.
But he conceded that he did not remember the briefing - as it coincided with the Met's large-scale efforts to organise and carry out Operation London Bridge at the time of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Find Out More...