Police arrest man, 21, over ‘arson attacks’ at Keir Starmer’s £2m North London home
Suspect arrested in the early hours of Tuesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life
A 21-year-old man has been arrested over suspected arson attacks on two properties linked to Sir Keir Starmer.
The Metropolitan Police said the suspect was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.
Emergency services were called to blazes at the doors of two homes in north London within 24 hours of each other – one just after 1.30am on Monday and the other on Sunday.
Police are investigating whether the fires were linked and counter-terrorism officers are leading the inquiry because the properties have connections to a high-profile public figure.
Scotland Yard is also looking into a vehicle fire on May 8 as part of the probe.
On Monday, a police cordon and officers, as well as investigators from London Fire Brigade (LFB), could be seen outside a Kentish Town property, where the Prime Minister used to live.
Neighbours described hearing a loud bang and said police officers were looking for a projectile.
Charles Grant, 66, told reporters: “Police searched my garden and said they were looking for something somebody had thrown but they didn’t find anything. They said they were looking for a projectile.
“From what other people have told me today, I gather someone threw a firebomb at Keir Starmer’s house.”
Sir Keir is understood to still own the home with wife Victoria, but lives at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Downing Street.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I can only say that the Prime Minister thanks the emergency services for their work and it is subject to a live investigation. So I can’t comment any further.”
Police were alerted by the LFB to reports of a fire at the residential address at 1.35am.
Damage was caused to the property’s entrance but nobody was hurt.
In the early hours of Sunday, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house converted into flats in nearby Islington, which is also linked to Sir Keir.
One person was assisted to safety via an internal staircase by crews wearing breathing apparatus, LFB said.
The car fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday May 8, in the same street as the Kentish Town property.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News on Tuesday: “It’s important that the Prime Minister and anyone in public life has their family, their homes, protected.
“We have robust disagreements in politics but I want to ensure anyone who chooses to go in to public life feels that they’ll be properly protected and that we have civility in our debate.
“It is absolutely wrong, disgraceful, for any individual to take the kind of action that we saw against the Prime Minister’s home.”
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