The prime minister has backed the Metropolitan Police after the force was criticised for arresting dozens of protesters during the coronation of King Charles III.
As tens of thousands of people, including foreign heads of state, gathered at London’s Westminster Abbey to celebrate on Saturday, 64 people were arrested, including anti-monarchy protesters, climate activists, and people in possession of rape alarms.
Police officers patrol The Mall outside Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation of King Charles III in London on April 29, 2023. (Kin Cheung/AP Photo)
Speaking to broadcasters on Monday after volunteering at a lunch club in Hertfordshire, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The police are operationally independent of government, they’ll make these decisions based on what they think is best….