Rishi Sunak condemns pro-Palestine demonstration at Keir Starmer’s home

Rishi Sunak has condemned pro-Palestine protesters that staged a demonstration outside Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s home.

The group, known as Youth Demand, describe themselves as a “new youth resistance campaign fighting for an end to genocide”.

The demonstrators hung a banner outside Sir Keir’s house that read: “Starmer stop the killing” surrounded by red hand prints.

The Metropolitan Police said three people were arrested on Tuesday under Section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, a power designed to “stop the harassment of a person at their home address”.

In a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, Youth Demand called for a two-way arms embargo on Israel, saying that weapons manufactured in the UK were being “used to cause genocide”.

Protesters then laid rows of children’s shoes in front of the Labour leader’s door, a tactic that has been utilised at a number of pro-Palestine protests to signify children killed in Gaza.

Rishi Sunak, whose own home in North Yorkshire was the target of climate protesters in 2023, said such incidents would not be tolerated.

In a post to X the Prime Minister said: “I don’t care what your politics are, no MP should be harassed at their own home.

“We cannot and will not tolerate this.”

Home Secretary James Cleverly also posted to X, saying: “This is unacceptable. There is no excuse for harassing and intimidating politicians and their families in their homes.”

The Government has been under increasing pressure to publish legal advice it has received in relation to whether Israel is violating international humanitarian law in Gaza, after three British aid workers were killed by Israeli air strikes in the region.

Sir Keir has called for the Government to publish the advice, with the party’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy stating arms sales should be halted if there has been a “serious breach” of international law.

In a statement from Youth Demand, one of the participants in the demonstration, student Ella Ward, 21, said: “In normal circumstances it would be seen as crossing a line to show up at someone’s house, but these are not normal circumstances and we can’t continue with business as usual.

“I’m taking action to call on Starmer to commit to stopping the killing.”

Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: “Politicians and their families should be able to go about their daily lives without feeling threatened or intimidated.

“It’s completely unacceptable for protest to take place in the vicinity of a politician’s home. There are plenty of appropriate places to protest in London, anyone who chooses to target a private home can expect to be dealt with by officers.

“In line with that approach officers have made three arrests today under Section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. This power stops the harassment of a person at their home address if an officer suspects it is causing alarm or distress to the occupant.”

On Monday Youth Demand sprayed Labour’s headquarters with red paint, and later claimed that 11 people had been arrested in relation to that incident.