Tory London mayoral hopeful Festus Akinbusoye has taken aim at Met Police chief Mark Rowley for “championing regional mega-forces” after his rival for the Conservative candidacy, James Cleverly, backed Rowley on The Guido Fawkes Show last night. Akinbusoye is less sympathetic to Rowley’s efforts…
He tells Guido:
“The Met Commissioner should be concentrating on tackling crime in London, not redesigning police forces across the country.
Londoners want more police officers on their streets, crimes solved, and neighbourhoods made safer. Instead, the Met has lost more than 3,000 officers since 2023, while its Commissioner is championing the creation of regional mega-forces.
As a former Police and Crime Commissioner, I know that effective policing starts with focused leadership, supported officers, and clear priorities.
As Mayor of London, I will also be London’s Police and Crime Commissioner. My priorities will be getting more officers onto the frontline, improving police retention, tackling neighbourhood crime, and delivering affordable housing to help officers live in the communities they protect.”
Festus will appear on the Guido Fawkes Show next Wednesday…
Mail commentator Dan Hodges – who was kind to Burnham during the Makerfield campaign – now concludes: “The truth is Andy Burnham doesn’t have a 10 year plan. He’s barely got a 10 week plan.“