Plan to move Notting Hill Carnival 'should be considered if police recommend it'
The policing minister says he would back the Met - if they recommend the event be moved for safety reasons
Last updated 31st Aug 2023
The policing minister has said he could be open to seeing the Notting Hill Carnival move if it was recommended by the Metropolitan Police.
Eight people were stabbed at the event in west London on Monday, with 275 arrests across the two days of the carnival.
The violence has been condemned but some politicians have gone further by suggesting the location of the annual celebration is moved to make it easier to police.
It comes after images and footage of people brandishing weapons were posted on social media.
Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate for 2024's London mayoral election, has called for the carnival to be moved from its traditional home on the streets of west London to another area.
Policing minister Chris Philp said on Thursday that if police advised that the narrower streets in west London posed a challenge for officers, he would not be opposed to discussions about moving the carnival.
Speaking to LBC, he said: "The mayor of London obviously is the politician responsible for London. I think if the police advise that narrow streets make it more dangerous, then I think, yes, that should be looked at very, very seriously in light of what happened.
"I think it's reasonable that the carnival goes ahead. We're a free country, after all, and if people want to have a carnival - and obviously hundreds of thousands of people went to it - then it is reasonable that goes ahead.
"But it's got to be done safely. If the police advice is that narrow streets make that difficult, and if it's moved into slightly wider streets that would help, that is something I think the mayor of London should be looking at seriously."
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley stressed on Wednesday that any such change was not a decision for police, who would work with organisers to review safety at the event.