to hire 13,000 more neighbourhood officers

Sir Keir said: “I’m absolutely clear in my mind when it comes to security and policing, that the Spending Review will deliver what we have promised.”

- 

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Keir Starmer can try to fool the public all he likes, but Labour simply haven’t funded the police officers they promised.

“Only 3,000 of their so-called 13,000 neighbourhood police are actually new officers.

“The rest are unpaid volunteers or diverted from existing roles. And police chiefs have called Labour’s Spending Review a ‘huge blow’ and warned it won’t even cover inflation. Labour are cutting policing, and it’s communities who will pay the price.”

The Police Federation union’s acting national chairwoman, Tiff Lynch, said: “Only 3,000 of the ‘new’ neighbourhood officers trumpeted by ministers are genuinely new.