Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has just wrapped up his “productive conversation” with Suella Braverman over the weekend’s anti-Israel protests. Home Office sources are briefing that it was a ‘confrontation’ which challenged the Met’s soft touch, and the force already has the powers to crack down on “distressing” behaviour. Like carrying around banners reading “I fully support Hamas”, or calling for “jihad” against Israel…

Rowley has told Sky News it wasn’t quite a head-to-head battle, and defended the Met’s behaviour. Instead he’s pointing the finger at MPs…

“I was explaining how we are absolutely ruthless in tackling anybody who puts their foot over the legal line. We’re accountable to the law. We can’t enforce taste or decency, but we can enforce the law. And we’ve made 34 arrests so far over the recent protests, we’ve got another 22 cases on the back of those where we are searching for individuals…

The conversation finished really around the line of the law. It’s our job to enforce to that line, it’s Parliament’s job to draw that line, and the thought that maybe events of the moment are illustrating maybe some of the lines aren’t quite in the right place…”

Downing Street also said this morning that the police already have “extensive powers in this space”, so it looks like the blame game continues…