Rishi Sunak plays down Harry and Meghan’s security concerns after ‘near-catastrophic chase’

HIROSHIMA – Rishi Sunak refused to be drawn over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s security concerns – saying that “cars in New York are not my priority”.

The royal couple say they were involved in a “near-catastrophic car chase” with press photographers earlier this week.

Their allegations have been disputed by the taxi driver who drove Harry and Meghan as they were being followed by paparazzi, and New York police said they had no record of a potential crime.

But the Sussexes pointed to the incident as evidence that the culture of dangerous pursuits which resulted in Princess Diana’s death was still a threat to them.

Questioned for the first time about the row, the Prime Minister told BBC News: “In general, I wouldn’t comment on anything to do with the royal family. I’m not aware of a particular incident in question.”

Asked whether he sympathised with Harry and Meghan’s security concerns, he replied: “I think just as all of us do, we want to make sure that we go about our day-to-day lives in safety and security. My job as Prime Minister is to ensure everyone feels safe in our country. That’s why we put 20,000 more police officers on the street. It’s why we’re giving them the powers to tackle things like knife crime.”

And when he was accused of dodging the issue, Mr Sunak said: “Cars in New York are not really my priority or my responsibility, what is my priority and responsibility is people’s safety at home. That’s why we put more police officers on the street and are giving them the powers they need to keep us safe.”

The Government has sought to avoid any responsibility for the security of the Duke and Duchess since they stepped down as working royals and moved to the US.

Prince Harry is currently taking legal action against the Home Office over its refusal to allow him to pay for close protection by the Metropolitan Police whenever he is visiting the UK.