Keir Starmer pushes ahead with armed policing probe after officer cleared of Chris Kaba murder

Police officer Martyn Blake was cleared of murder by a jury at the Old Bailey on Monday following a trial over the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba in South London in 2022

Keir Starmer will bring forward a review into armed policing after a Scotland Yard officer was cleared of murder over the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba.

The Prime Minister said the Government would complete the probe into the use of force by police, which was announced by the Tories last year. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to set out further details to MPs today.

Then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman commissioned the review in September 2023 after police officer Martyn Blake was charged with murder over the shooting of Mr Kaba. More than 100 Metropolitan Police firearms officers turned in their permits that allowed them to carry weapons after he was charged, sparking fears that soldiers would have to step in to provide armed response.

The marksman, who had denied intending to kill Mr Kaba, was cleared of murder on Monday after a trial at the Old Bailey.

Mr Blake, 40, shot the unarmed 24-year-old through the windscreen of an Audi Q8 as he tried to ram his way past police cars on September 5 2022 in Streatham, South London. His vehicle had been flagged to police after it was linked to a shooting in nearby Brixton the previous night.

Mr Kaba, who had been due to become a father, had no weapons in his vehicle. His death triggered protests against the police and his family said they had been left with "the deep pain of injustice" following the verdict.

Speaking to reporters travelling to a summit in Samoa, Mr Starmer said: "The jury has come to a decision in this case and we've got to respect the result of it. I do understand the pressure that firearms officers operate under having to make split second decisions in difficult, fast-moving circumstances. I obviously saw that for myself when I was prosecuting."

Describing his time advising the police in Northern Ireland, he said: "I was in the control room on a number of occasions when those decisions were being made by the senior command, to pass the decision down to the officer on the ground and saw for myself just how difficult that is."

Pointing to the review, he said: "We are going to pick that up and complete that Accountability Review because it is important that the public have confidence in the police, including of course the armed police. But it's also important that the police know that we have confidence in them doing a very difficult job so we will pick that up."