Labour's Keir Starmer presses Rishi Sunak on low rape conviction rate

Metropolitan Police officersANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Sir Keir Starmer has accused the government of "sheer negligence" as he pressed the prime minister over the low rate of rape charges.

The Labour leader told MPs that "on his watch rape charges are 1.6%".

Rishi Sunak said the government was "on track" to double the number of rape cases which reach court.

The pair clashed at Prime Minister's Questions following a damming report which said there was misogyny at the heart of the Metropolitan Police.

Baroness Casey was appointed to review the force's culture and standards after the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving police officer Wayne Couzens, in 2021.

During the course of her review, another Met officer, David Carrick, was convicted of a series of rapes, sexual offences and torture of women.

Her report, which described a force with racism, misogyny, and homophobia at its heart, detailed how rape cases were dropped because a freezer containing key evidence broke and said the "de-prioritisation and de-specialisation" of public protection - in areas like child protection, rape and serious sexual offences - had put women and children at greater risk than necessary.

At PMQs, Sir Keir - a former director of public prosecutions - pointed to the low rape charge rate and asked why the government had not backed Labour's plan to have rape and serious sexual offences units in every police force.

"No wonder the Casey report criticised what she calls the government's hands-off attitude to policing over the last 13 years, but let's call it what it really is: sheer negligence," he said.

Rather than responding directly, Mr Sunak said responsibility for the Met lay with the Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, while he later said neighbourhood crime had fallen by 25% since 2019.

As Tory MPs could be heard shouting, Sir Keir said they should be "ashamed" over the government's record on rape cases.

Last year police in England and Wales recorded the highest number of rapes and sexual offences in 20 years.

Baroness Casey's report into the Met found Britain's biggest police force was "institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic", and warned there may be more officers like Couzens and Carrick. She estimated "several hundred" officers would need to be removed but called for Sir Mark to be given the time and respect he needed to do the job.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told the Greater London Assembly's Police and Crime committee on Wednesday that he accepted Baroness Casey's "diagnosis" of misogyny, racism and homophobia in the force, but said he did not accept it was institutional.

Baroness Casey, speaking before the Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday, accused the commissioner of "unfortunately splitting hairs over words".

She said: "I feel its a really missed opportunity... I just feel it's a shame and what I hope is that over the next few weeks and months as the commissioner gets more into meeting Londoners and listening to what they have to say, he will not only accept my diagnosis but accept what isn't a a label - but an accurate description of the organisation.

"And I think he's letting his police down and letting his staff down."

Sir Mark previously told Radio 4's Today programme that while he accepted the "diagnosis" of the report he would not use the expression "institutional racism", describing it as ambiguous and politicised.

Baroness Casey added the commissioner "needs to be bigger than the sort of headline or the word" and there should be "an end to hubris and a beginning of humility".

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