Good morning – and sorry to have emailed you twice in the space of an hour – there were some technical issues and the newsletter was sent out with yesterday’s subject line.
The fatal shooting of Chris Kaba by the Metropolitan police last week has triggered an outpouring of grief and rage. Two police cars chased after the 24-year-old black musician and expectant father and cornered his car. Once he was blocked in, a specialist firearms officer reportedly fired a shot through the driver’s side of the windscreen. Kaba was declared dead two hours later. He was found to be unarmed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an ongoing homicide investigation, and it is unclear when the findings will be published.
For today’s newsletter, I spoke to former Met chief superintendent Dal Babu and Deborah Coles, executive director of Inquest, a charity specialising in state-related deaths, to understand what we know, what we don’t and why this case has caused widespread protest. That’s right after the headlines.
Five big stories
Ukraine | Ukrainian authorities have discovered 440 bodies in a mass burial site in the liberated city of Izium. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: “Russia is leaving death behind it everywhere and must be held responsible,” comparing the discovery to what happened in Bucha.
Politics | Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng will deliver his emergency mini-budget to bring in winter tax cuts for millions of people and set out more detail on energy support next Friday.
Brexit | The UK has made a unilateral decision to continue suspending border checks on goods entering Northern Ireland, a move likely to antagonise the EU but not provoke further action.
Queen Elizabeth II | The Saudi Arabian crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, will reportedly travel to London to deliver his country’s condolences to the royal family after the death of the Queen. There has been no confirmation whether he will attend the Queen’s funeral.
Sport | Roger Federer has retired from tennis after over two decades at the top of the men’s game. The 41-year-old won 20 grand slam titles, including eight men’s singles victories at Wimbledon.
In depth: ‘His family just want the truth’
“We are devastated; we need answers and we need accountability,” read a statement from Chris Kaba’s family last week. They went on to express a thought that was on the minds of so many, and perhaps goes some way to explaining why trust in the police is at an all time low: “We are worried that if Chris had not been black, he would have been arrested on Monday evening and not had his life cut short.”
It is 23 years since London’s Metropolitan police force was deemed “institutionally racist” by the Macpherson report, and after the death of another young black man it can often seem like little has changed since. So what do we know about Kaba’s death and what does it tell us about the way the capital is policed?
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What we know so far
There are still many unknown details about Chris Kaba’s death. What we do know is that on 5 September, Kaba was driving through south London when an automatic number plate recognition camera flagged the car he was in as recently being linked to a firearms incident. The IOPC has said that the car was not registered under Kaba’s name.
Police officers then pursued Kaba, eventually performing a “controlled stop” – two police vehicles collided with his car, cornering him in Streatham Hill. A specialist firearms officer then fired a single shot at the driver’s side through the windscreen, hitting Kaba in the back of the head. He was taken to hospital, where he died two hours later. According to Kaba’s family, they were not told of his death for 11 hours.
After a thorough search of the car Kaba was driving, the IOPC reported that no firearm was found. Almost a week after his death, and after vociferous complaints from Kaba’s family, the Met announced that the officer who fired the shot had been suspended pending the outcome of the IOPC homicide investigation. The IOPC added, however, that this suspension does not mean “that [the officer who shot Kaba] will end up facing criminal charges or a misconduct hearing”. The family found out on Wednesday that they would be allowed to watch the footage of the incident that led to Kaba’s killing. More details will be released as the IOPC investigation goes on.
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The public response
The death of an unarmed young black man at the hands of the police has led to an outpouring of emotion. Over the weekend, thousands of anti-racism protesters filled the streets to demand answers, transparency and accountability. Kaba’s family were in attendance as were a number of high profile figures, including Stormzy, and MPs Diane Abbott and Bell Ribeiro-Addy. More demonstrations are planned to take place across the country in solidarity. The Met’s assistant commissioner Amanda Pearson has said she “absolutely understands that this shooting is a matter of grave concern, particularly for our black communities”. That acknowledgment has been of cold comfort to the family, who say that the IOPC and the Met were too slow in responding to their complaints.
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The Met response
Polling shows that public confidence in the Metropolitan police has been on a downward trend for some time. According to new research by Queen Mary University, on average, 49% of Londoners said they had little to no trust in the Met. That number rises to 52% among women who live in London and 54% among people from ethnic minority backgrounds. While the institutional and systemic problems in the Met have been officially acknowledged since the failure to properly investigate Stephen Lawrence’s murder in 1993, the last two years have been particularly bad for the reputation of the force.
Its commissioner, Cressida Dick, resigned in February under pressure from Sadiq Khan. In June, the force was placed in special measures, after a series of significant failings. Numerous officers have been exposed for making jokes about domestic violence and using racist and misogynistic language in private group chats. Last year, as the nation mourned the death of Sarah Everard – a young woman who was killed by a police officer, Wayne Couzens – heavy-handed policing of vigils were widely criticised. Just three months ago another black man, Oladeji Omishore, fell into the Thames and died after being tasered by police.
Unlike in previous cases however, the force has responded relatively quickly to pressure from the public and the family. Former chief superintendent Dal Babu, who worked in the Met for 30 years, has said that the response is “remarkably different” from the past, where there was often “an instant defensiveness” and “an instant rebuttal”. Babu describes the response to Kaba’s death as “much more measured” which he ascribes to the new commissioner, Mark Rowley, who took over the role just this month. Whether this new attitude has trickled down through the ranks of the force is unclear, especially given reports that firearms officers were threatening to hand in their guns in response to the suspension of their colleague.
In any case, Deborah Coles, who has been working closely with the family of Chris Kaba, thinks the responsiveness of the police has more to do with the speed of negative reaction than the change of commissioner. “The family had a lawyer in the immediacy of his death and the protest was highly significant in putting this on the public and political agenda,” Coles explains. It is the fact that the police are aware that they are being closely watched by a lot of people, Coles adds, that is speeding up the process.
“His family just want the truth,” Coles says plainly. “They want to understand how and why Chris was killed. That’s their legal right.”
What else we’ve been reading
To have starred in two truly timeless films in Ferris Bueller and Dirty Dancing only to disappear from the limelight is quite something. Jennifer Grey gives her side of the story in an interview with Simon Bland. Toby Moses, head of newsletters
Philip Oltermann takes a look at the murky dealings of BASF, a giant German chemical firm responsible for manufacturing the chemicals in our toothpaste and painkillers. Nimo
Four-mile queues livestreamed to the nation, companies rushing to outdo each other with shows of respect – the UK’s reaction to the death of the Queen continues to surprise. But what does the rest of the world think of the UK now? Toby
Almost three months since Roe v Wade was overturned, things only seem to be getting worse. Moira Donegan argues that, if anti-abortion Republicans aren’t stopped, in the not-so-distant future abortion could be banned in every state. Nimo
Michael Hahn manages to make Kevin Costner vehicle Yellowstone sound both like the worst thing on TV and absolutely essential viewing – and not in a hate-watch way. Succession for cowboys? Perhaps it’s worth a go … Toby
Sport
Football | Ivan Toney has been rewarded for his excellent form upfront for Brentford with a first call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
Football | In their first Europa League win of the season, Manchester United beat Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 with ease.
Cycling | British Cycling has apologised for issuing guidance that told cyclists they should not use their bikes during the Queen’s funeral.
The front pages
“Truss to lift fracking ban despite lack of progress on tremor risks” – is this morning’s Guardian front page lead. People are shown queueing for the Queen’s lying in state. The i has “Energy help is too late, warn firms” and mourning crowds are likewise shown. “Walk behind Queen’s coffin brought back memories of my mother’s funeral” – that’s the Daily Mail paraphrasing Prince William. “Don’t cry, you’ll start me off” – William’s words to a well-wisher, says the Metro. More William, this time in the Daily Express: “The Queen was like everyone’s grandmother”. The Telegraph reports: “NHS doctors and nurses to walk ahead of coffin”. “A service for the world” – the Times previews the Queen’s “historic abbey funeral”. “Harry can wear a uniform” – the Sun says King Charles has granted his son the “special permission”, despite “Megxit”, for the grandchildren’s vigil at the Queen’s coffin. The Mirror has a reminder that others are being mourned, reporting on Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s funeral in Liverpool. “Goodnight Olivia, love you” is the main headline. The Financial Times’ picture is the only queue anyone’s talking about, while its splash picks up on a telling comment from Russia’s president: “Putin admits to Chinese ‘concerns’ over Ukraine war in meeting with Xi”.
Something for the weekend
Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read and listen to right now
TV
Minx (Paramount+)
I have come to expect a more sombre tone from 70s-set shows, but Minx is a total hoot. Ophelia Lovibond plays Joyce, attempting to get a radical feminist magazine off the ground in California. Enter Doug (Jake Johnson), publisher of titillating mags such as B-Cup Babes. Brisk and enjoyable, with a pleasingly bulldozer-ish attitude towards comedy. – Rebecca Nicholson
Music
Christian Curnyn/Early Opera Company – Amadigi
It’s odd that Amadigi isn’t better known, given what it has going for it. For a start it’s short, for a Handel opera. Curnyn’s recording – made with the Early Opera Company – is only the work’s third. The most interesting character is Melissa, who is unexpectedly sympathetic, while Dardano’s big aria, Pena tiranna, is the opera’s emotional heart. – Erica Jeal
Film
Moonage Daydream
Brett Morgen’s film is a 140-minute shapeshifting epiphany-slash-freakout leading to the revelation that, yes, we’re lovers of David Bowie and that is that. It’s a celebratory montage of archive material, live performance footage, Bowie’s experimental video art and paintings, movie and stage work, and interviews. The jittery fever of his presence continues long after the film has ended.– Peter Bradshaw
Podcast
Mattan: Injustice of a Hanged Man (BBC Sounds)
Seventy years ago, Mahmood Mattan was executed for the murder of Cardiff shopkeeper Lily Volpert. But, as Danielle Fahiya’s podcast reveals, Mattan wasn’t guilty. Using eyewitness accounts, she tells how he wanted to fit in to Tiger Bay, but was met with prejudice that resulted in an unfair trial. – Hannah Verdier
Today in Focus
Can the Commonwealth survive the death of the Queen?
The Queen’s death has been marked throughout the Commonwealth with a period of official mourning. But not far below the surface lies a simmering anger among those grappling with the legacy of colonialism
Cartoon of the day | Steve Bell
The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
“As of now, Earth is our only shareholder,” the outdoor clothing company Patagonia said as billionaire founder Yvon Chouinard announced he was giving the organisation away to fight the climate crisis.
All of Patagonia’s profits, in perpetuity, will “go to our mission to ‘save our home planet’,” the statement continued. A new structure to the business will mean that while Patagonia remains for-profit, “every dollar received to fight the environmental crisis, protect nature and biodiversity, and support thriving communities, as quickly as possible”. And Chouinard has achieved this without using the donation to write off any tax that is owed.
Chouinard, 83, is a longstanding climate philanthropist, and since the 1980s his company has donated more than $140m to climate programmes.
Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday
Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until Monday.
