Inside Politics: Met chief told to resign and PM accused of ‘gaslighting’ public over fuel supply crisis

Already under pressure to resign, Met Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick faces another difficult day as fresh details emerge about the conduct of Wayne Couzens, the serving officer who murdered Sarah Everard. Elsewhere, Boris Johnson’s government is accused of “gaslighting” the public over the fuel crisis, with industry leaders warning petrol stations are not recovering despite claims from officials that supply issues have eased.

Parliament is in recess until 18 October. Tory Party conference kicks off this weekend in Manchester.

Coming up:

– Policing minister Kit Malthouse on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am

– Former Inspector of Constabulary Zoe Billingham on BBC Breakfast at 8.30am

LIFE FOR SARAH KILLER: Thursday was yet another extremely difficult day for the Metropolitan Police following the sentencing of Wayne Couzens, the serving officer who kidnapped, raped and then murdered 33-year-old London marketing executive Sarah Everard. Earlier this week it emerged that Couzens, who was given life in prison, used police powers and handcuffs to perform a “fake Covid arrest” on Everard, telling her she had breached lockdown rules before bundling her into his car. Nicknamed “the rapist” by colleagues, Couzens had been questioned about an alleged sex offence in the days before he killed Everard. Her murder by an officer is symptomatic of the police not taking allegations of sexual violence and domestic abuse against officers seriously due to a “culture of impunity”, experts have warned. The force has set out a series of plans aimed at tackling violence against women in order to rebuild trust.

QUESTIONS FOR MET: The events leading up to Everard’s murder left the Met facing serious questions about its internal processes, with the force’s boss, Dame Cressida Dick, coming under pressure to resign. The chair of parliament’s women and equalities committee, Tory MP Caroline Nokes, joined former Labour justice secretary Harriet Harman and a chorus of others in calling for the commissioner to step down over the killing. Priti Patel, the home secretary and Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, have both said the Met needs to answer serious questions but backed Dame Cressida to remain in post. This morning’s papers are dominated by the story, with several outlets covering Dame Cressida’s comments about how the case has “shamed” the Met. The Times reports that before the murder, Couzens exchanged misogynistic, racist and homophobic material with colleagues who are now under criminal investigation. In a separate case, the Met was slammed by judges who ruled that the force grossly violated the human rights of a woman who was deceived into a long-term sexual relationship by an undercover officer.

GOVERNMENT ‘GASLIGHTING’: The fuel supply crisis has slightly slipped down the news agenda in the past few days but has not gone away. Industry leaders, who say supplies are not improving across swathes of the country, have accused Boris Johnson’s government of “gaslighting” the public over claims that the situation is back under control. “Some of our members haven’t had any fuel deliveries for nearly a week,” said Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association. “There’s been no easing off of the pressure from drivers wanting to refuel whenever they can, wherever they can. Trying to calm this down appears to be a monumental task at the moment.” A PRA survey said 27 per cent of petrol stations were out of fuel on Thursday – the same number as the day before. Starmer has blamed the crisis on Johnson’s “whack-a-mole” approach to running the country. Simon Clarke, chief secretary to the Treasury, said: “That crisis is now absolutely something which is back under control. The most important message is the resilience of the fuel supply chain is improving.”

GET A MOVE ON: Boris Johnson’s proposed ban on “inhumane” conversion practices must avoid exemptions for religious settings and “consenting” adults, a major report has warned. Signed by leading lawyers, LGBT+ campaigners and cross-party MPs, it urges swift and immediate action from the government after repeated delays, to avoid further lives being damaged and lost. The Conservative MP Crispin Blunt said the delays risked undermining ministers’ “good intentions”, insisting: “Further government prevarication is no longer defensible”.

FUNDING BLACKHOLE: Councils are facing an £8 billion funding blackhole by 2024/25 just to keep local services running at today’s levels, local government leaders have claimed. An analysis by the Local Government Association says local authorities will face extra cost pressures, mostly related to social care, that will push their finances to the brink. James Jamieson, the LGA’s chair, called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to set out how much funding they would never over the next few years so that they could plan ahead. And he called for the creation of a £1 billion Community Investment Fund to prop up the parts of council budgets related to the government’s so-called “levelling up” agenda. “Councils continue to face severe funding and demand pressures that will stretch the local services our communities rely on to the limit,” the top councillor said.

“It is clear that change is needed in the Met, to make sure the confidence of women is restored. Rebuilding the trust that is needed will be an enormous challenge for Cressida Dick, and one I am not convinced she can meet.”

Tory MP and chair of the women and equalities committee, Caroline Nokes, suggests Dame Cressida Dick should consider her position.

“The police’s response to Wayne Couzens’ conviction appears designed to confirm the public’s worst fears.”

New Statesman senior online editor George Eaton suggests Met’s response to conviction was less than convincing.

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