London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Mayor Sadiq Khan repeatedly declined to apologise to a Met firearms officer exonerated of Chris Kaba’s killing.
Chris Kaba was killed by Sergeant Martyn Blake as he attempted to ram his car past police cars during a police stop in Streatham, south London, on September 5, 2022. Mr Khan was put under stress at the London Assembly for being “too sympathetic” towards the drill rapper, 24, whose fierce past was exposed after Sgt Blake was last month discovered not guilty of his murder.
How did Susan Hall criticize Khan’s stance on Kaba?
It was revealed that Kaba was a “core member” of the infamous “67 gang” in Brixton Hill, with a history of criminal campaigns including a jail term for possession of a gun. Susan Hall, the Tory ex-mayoral candidate, requested to know why Mr Khan had depicted Kaba as a “young life cut short” two years ago before an Old Bailey jury exonerated Mr Blake in three hours “with none of the information you had”.
She stated:
“My criticism is of you. You are a leader, well you’re supposed to be a leader. You are the Mayor of London and you are also the police and crime commissioner.”
What was Khan’s response to calls for an apology?
Mr Khan stated:
“Can I put on record my thanks to all our firearm officers who do an extremely difficult job under extraordinary possibilities and pressures?”
Ms Hall questioned him again to say sorry and blamed the mayor for “waffle, waffle, waffle”, adding: “I asked you a very simple question.” When she blamed Mr Khan for “sounding like a parrot”, he rebuked her for descending the argument into abuse.
What stance did the Met commissioner take on the case?
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner stated: “Having frequent coffees with Martyn Blake over recent months, I’ve been surprised by his resilience and satisfaction with what the world has thrown at him and his household which has turned his life upside down. Making this about race is a dangerous and unhelpful conversation. I wish, and Martyn Blake wishes, that Chris Kaba’s behaviour hadn’t pushed the conflict it did that night and he had spent the next 10 or 20 years in lockup.”