PM to chair taskforce on what more can be done to keep women safe on UK streets

Outside New Scotland Yard, protesters chanted "brutality's not welcome here" while others waved banners saying "abolish the police".

Last night, officers were standing guard at the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square as protesters gathered around it.

The Prime Minister insisted the murder of Ms Everard must “unite us in determination” to drive out violence against women and girls.

He will chair a meeting of the UK Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce to look at what action needs to be taken to ensure women are protected and the UK’s streets are safe.

Dame Cressida, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, is expected to attend the meeting along with Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, Max Hill, the Director of Public Prosecutions, and Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary.

Mr Johnson will use it to discuss the Government’s strategy on violence against women and girls, securing safer streets, rape prosecutions and the criminal justice system.

Ahead of the meeting, he said: “Like everyone who saw it I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night.

“I have spoken with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who has committed to reviewing how this was handled and the Home Secretary has also commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event.”

The PM added: “The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them.”

Ms Patel pledged to everything she could as Home Secretary to protect women and girls, adding: “Everyone should be free to walk our streets without fear of harassment, abuse or violence.

“The Home Office survey on tackling violence against women and girls has received an unprecedented 53,000 responses since it reopened on Friday and I’d urge everyone to give us their views.”

Dame Cressida said what happened to Ms Everard “appals me” and made her “more determined, not less” to lead the organisation.

She welcomed the Home Secretary’s request for an independent investigation into the events, which she described as “fiendishly difficult policing”.

In ugly scenes on Saturday night, officers clashed with crowds who had gathered on Clapham Common to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive.

Dame Cressida said: “What happened to Sarah appals me. As you know, I’m the first woman Commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appals me, in a way, even more because of that.

“What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation.

“I’ve listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women don’t feel as safe as we would all like women to feel. I am utterly determined.”

She said that “all the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they’re working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah”.

The Met chief added: “In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterday’s events.”

But Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Streatham, tweeted: “The Met Commissioner’s decision to double down on the police’s dangerous handling of the Clapham Common vigil is further proof that her position is untenable.

“Lessons must be learned from last night. At the very least, we need a Met leader that is actually willing to learn them.”

Earlier on Sunday, Ms Patel asked the Chief Inspector of Constabulary to conduct a “lessons learned” review into the events.

She spoke with Dame Cressida, having received her report into the police’s actions at the vigil.

But “in the interest of confidence in policing,” the Home Secretary asked Sir Thomas Winsor to conduct an independent review into what happened, a Government source said.

Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, also said he would be asking HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to look into the events.

The Mayor said the scenes at the vigil were “completely unacceptable” despite having received assurances from Scotland Yard last week that the vigil would be policed “sensitively”.

“It is vital that these events are not allowed to undermine the powerful calls since Sarah’s murder for meaningful action to finally stop men inflicting violence on women.

“It was clear before yesterday that there isn’t adequate trust and confidence from women and girls in the police and criminal justice system more widely. Further steps must now be taken to address this,” added Mr Khan.

Dame Cressida has faced calls to resign after the clashes in which her force’s officers were seen grabbing several women and leading them away in handcuffs.

Later, Scotland Yard said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

Three of those – including a man and two women – were arrested on suspicion of breaching the Health Protection Regulation and have been reported for consideration of a fixed-penalty notice.

A fourth person – a woman in her teens – was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and has been released under police investigation.

Ken Marsh, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, came out in defence of the officers on duty on Saturday night.

He said: “Yesterday, 26 Metropolitan Police officers were assaulted – punched, kicked, spat at – policing Covid-19 lockdown laws that a democratically-elected Government have imposed…laws that the Mayor of London has called on us to enforce to keep Londoners safe.

“Now colleagues are being condemned by politicians of all parties for doing what we have been asked to do by politicians on behalf of society. This is not right or fair. Damned if we do. Damned if we don’t. Are we supposed to enforce Covid-19 regulations or not?”

Mr Marsh added: “Political leaders should be doing much more to support the police officers they have put in this impossible position.

“The thoughts of the Metropolitan Police Federation remain with the family and friends of Sarah Everard.”

Today, MPs will debate the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will significantly increase the state’s powers to crack down on protests.

UK ministers argue the legislation will empower police to take a “more proactive approach” to managing “highly disruptive” protests deemed to be causing too much public disturbance, which some regard was the case of demonstrations staged by Extinction Rebellion, in which people glued themselves to public transport and entrances to Parliament.

But Labour, while supporting some measures in the bill, has made clear it will vote against it. The Opposition wants the Government to make misogyny a hate crime and increase the minimum sentences for rapists and stalkers to tackle violence against women and girls.

David Lammy, the Shadow Justice Minister, said: "The tragic death of Sarah Everard has instigated a national demand for action to tackle violence against women.

“This is no time to be rushing through poorly thought-out measures to impose disproportionate controls on free expression and the right to protest.”

The Tottenham MP went on: “Now is the time to unite the country and put in place on long overdue protections for women against unacceptable violence, including action against domestic homicides, rape and street harassment. And we must tackle the misogynistic attitudes that underpin the abuse women face.

“Instead, the Conservatives have brought forward a Bill that is seeking to divide the country. It is a mess, which could lead to harsher penalties for damaging a statue than for attacking a woman,” he added.

On Saturday, serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, who is accused of murdering Ms Everard, was remanded in custody after his first court appearance where it emerged her body was found inside a large builder’s bag.

Couzens, 48, is charged with kidnapping and murdering Ms Everard, who went missing while walking home from a friend’s flat in south London on March 3. He is due to appear at the Old Bailey tomorrow.