Counterterror police are investigating a fire that broke out in the early hours of Monday morning at a north London home owned and rented out to tenants by the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
After winning last year's general election, Mr. Starmer relocated to the prime ministerial residence at 10 Downing Street while leasing his four-bedroom family home in Kentish Town, according to official records.
According to a statement from London’s Metropolitan Police, "On Monday, 12 May at 01:35 hrs., police were alerted by the London Fire Brigade to reports of a fire at a residential address." Officers attended the scene, where damage was caused to the property’s entrance, though no one was harmed. The fire is under investigation, and cordons remain in place as inquiries continue.
The police further indicated that "as a precaution and due to the property having previous connections with a high-profile public figure, officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are leading the investigation into this fire. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the potential cause of the fire."
Mr. Starmer’s property is located approximately four miles from Downing Street. It is customary for the British Prime Minister to reside at the official residence, which is in close proximity to Parliament and features robust security measures, including a steel blastproof door.
London’s fire brigade stated that firefighters were dispatched to a "small fire outside a property in Kentish Town this morning" and that the fire was extinguished in under half an hour.
In a related context, during Mr. Starmer's tenure as leader of the opposition last year, a group known as Youth Demand protested outside his family home, campaigning for an arms embargo on Israel. In that instance, demonstrators displayed a banner reading "Starmer stop the killing," surrounded by red handprints, and placed rows of children's shoes at the front door.