Neighbours of Sir Keir Starmer’s £2million London home say they heard a loud bang before the entire street was cordoned off following a fire at the property.
Emergency crews descended on the property in the north west of the capital in the early hours of this morning.
Forensics officers have been seen combing for evidence outside the townhouse all day after the blaze broke out at 1.11am.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) confirmed there has been ‘damage’ caused to the front of the home with the flames being brought under control by 1.33am. No one was hurt.
A next door neighbour described the fire as ‘scary’ and told how he had been woken up in the early hours by a ‘loud bang’.
‘It was a loud bang, what sounded like glass shattering. It was scary,’ the male neighbour, who did not wish to be named, told The Sun.
According to the PM’s entry in the register of ministerial financial interests, Sir Keir rents out the family home.
He, his wife Victoria and their children moved into an apartment in 10 Downing Street after the election last July.
Sir Keir and his wife, Victoria, were previously seen clapping for the NHS from outside the home in London, during the height pandemic in May, 2020
A property belonging to Keir Starmer caught on fire in the early hours of this morning. Pictured is an officer guarding the scene
Emergency crews were called just after 1am to the fire. The road remains cordoned off today
Firefighters are pictured at the scene of the blaze, with crews putting out the fire at about 1.33am
The PM and Victoria were previously seen clapping for the NHS outside the townhouse during their height of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating the blaze, with a spokesman for the force saying officers were alerted at 1.35am.
Another neighbour told The Sun said they had seen forensics officers outside of the property all day.
‘It seems like they’re taking it very seriously,’the 58-year-old said, who did not wish to be named.
Others told how last Wednesday a car had been set on fire opposite the home. It is not known if the two incidents are connected.
A Met Police spokesperson said: ‘Officers attended the scene. Damage was caused to the property’s entrance, nobody was hurt,’ a Scotland Yard official added.
‘The fire is being investigated and cordons remain in place while enquiries continue.
‘Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 441/12 May.’
It’s not clear what caused the blaze. However, a number of forensics officers in blue and white overalls were seen in the street on Monday afternoon.
A spokesperson for LFB added: ‘The Brigade was called at 0111 and the fire was under control by 0133.
‘Two fire engines from Kentish Town Fire Station attended the scene.’
The PM’s official spokesman said: ‘I can only say that Prime Minister thanks the emergency services for their work and it is subject to a live investigation. So I can’t comment any further.’
A number of forensics officers wearing blue and white overalls were seen in the street today
Pictured is a police cordon on the street where one of Sir Keir Starmer’s homes caught fire
News of the blaze came as the PM this morning revealed the Government’s plan to crack down on migration rules.
Speaking at a press conference earlier today, Sir Keir warned Britain was at risk of becoming an ‘island of strangers’ as he unveiled a string of new policies to tackle illegal immigration.
Speaking to journalists from Downing Street, the PM deployed the Brexit campaign’s ‘take back control’ slogan as he vowed to end the ‘betrayal’ of relying on cheap foreign labour.
However, doubts are already being raised about whether the rules will have a big enough impact – with the Conservatives criticising the failure to introduce an annual cap on numbers.
The announcement comes less than a fortnight after Reform UK rode a wave of rising public anger on immigration to triumph in the local elections, delivering a string of damaging defeats to Labour.
Sir Keir is now scrambling to blunt the threat from Nigel Farage’s party by projecting a tough stance on the issue – and deliver lower net migration figures over the rest of the parliamentary term.
Home Office aides are said to fear that without deep-rooted reforms, annual net migration will settle even higher than the 340,000 level projected by the Office for National Statistics.
Sir Keir has accused the Tories of overseeing an explosion in numbers while in power, saying the system seemed ‘designed to permit abuse’ and was ‘contributing to the forces that are slowly pulling our country apart’.
The PM estimates the new migration reforms will cut migration figures by 100,000 per year.
It’s understood the home belongs to Sir Keir Starmer, who rents it out. The PM is pictured today holding a press conference into immigration
The home is owned by Sir Keir but he now rents it out while he lives in 10 Downing Street. Pictured are officers at the scene following the fire in London on Monday morning
This flagship Immigration White Paper includes a 10-year wait for UK citizenship, instead of five.
Those who work and pay taxes could also jump the queue for residency rights, while public service employees and top-skilled professionals will be fast-tracked.
And in a new clampdown, the language test bar is also set to be raised, while migrants will now require a university degree to gain a ‘skilled worker’ visa.
Labour also plan to close loopholes that allow companies to blame a ‘skills gap’ to bring in cheap work.
Sir Keir underlined his determination that the changes will mean ‘migration numbers fall’ but added: ‘If we do need to take further steps… then mark my words we will.’
However, he refused to guarantee that net migration will fall every year from now, saying: ‘I do want to get it down by the end of this Parliament significantly.’
Estimated net migration to the UK stood at a provisional total of 728,000 in the year to June 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Some 1,207,000 people were estimated to have immigrated to the UK during these 12 months, while 479,000 were estimated to have emigrated, making a net migration figure of 728,000.
This is down 20 per cent from a record 906,000 in the previous 12 months for the year to June 2023.
Sir Keir’s critics, including Reform UK’s Richard Tice, have called for him to introduce a specific cap on numbers.
‘There’s no target, no number that can be measured against,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The Conservatives have said the PM is ‘trying to take credit for recent substantial reductions in visa numbers that resulted from Conservative reforms in April 2024’.
Following his speech, the PM also met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Downing Street.
The pair discussed how the UK and Sweden could forge tighter bonds and continue to support Ukraine.
