Will the boss of the Met be forced out over ‘openly Jewish’ row?

London’s police force is at the centre of another controversy – will it have to lose its second commissioner in as many years, asks Kate Devlin

Met commissioner Mark Rowley has been criticised for his force’s handling of the recent pro-Palestine march (PA Archive)

Just a few months ago, the Metropolitan Police looked to be heading towards a period of relative stability. Its controversial former head, Cressida Dick, left in 2022, following a particularly rabid time for the force. And her successor Mark Rowley appeared to be steadying the ship. He was even lauded for taking a particularly hard line on ridding the Met of the “bad apples” he blamed for its woeful reputation. So why is he now embroiled in a row that has seen a high-profile former home secretary call for his head?

What happened?

The row erupted last week after it emerged that on 13 April, police officers had threatened the head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), Gideon Falter, with arrest as he walked near to a pro-Palestine protest, and that one police officer had described him as “openly Jewish”.