What the Prime Minister said during PMQs:
"In the London area alone, there are 6,000 more police than there were in 1997. As my hon. Friend rightly said, in graphic detail, crime is down in his constituency. The choice in London will be between an administration that wants to employ more police and wants to get crime down, and what the hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Johnson) has said, which is that he wishes to cut spending on the Metropolitan police. That would be disastrous for the police, disastrous for London and bad for the whole country."
Boris Johnson was quickly up on his feet at the end of PMQs to correct the Prime Minister:
"Boris Johnson MP: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Since I am sure that the Prime Minister inadvertently misled the House when he said I wanted to cut spending on— [Interruption.]
Mr Speaker: Order. I need to hear the hon. Gentleman’s point of order. I am the only one who has to stay and listen to it.
Mr Johnson: I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for staying. Since I am sure that the Prime Minister inadvertently misled the House when he said that I wanted to cut spending on the Metropolitan police, and since that is the exact opposite of the case—I want to get more police officers out on the beat to reverse the rise in violent crime over the past eight years and to restore to our streets, buses and station platforms a sense of safety and security—will you, Mr. Speaker, ask him to come as soon as possible to this Chamber to rectify that mistake?
Mr Speaker: The hon. Gentleman has put the record straight—and very swiftly at that."
3pm: Watch the exchange.
