GOLDERS GREEN — Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday defended Metropolitan Police officers' use of force during the arrest of a suspect in a stabbing in Golders Green and condemned criticism of the officers by Green Party leader Zack Polanski. Two Jewish people were stabbed in the north-west London suburb, and police were filmed detaining the suspect at the scene. Footage of the arrest shows two officers appearing to kick the suspect on or near his head when he was already incapacitated by a stun gun.

"I don't know what was going through the mind of those officers, but if I was there, I'd be thinking: 'He's going to detonate something. He's going to blow me up and everybody around here.' And in those circumstances, I think you can quite see why what could have gone through their mind is: 'We need to do whatever we can to disable this guy,'" Starmer said.

Starmer directed his criticism at Polanski, who had retweeted a post alleging that officers were "repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head" when he was already incapacitated by a stun gun. Polanski later apologised for sharing the post in haste.

"You have to make a decision in that split moment according to the situation as you understand it to be. And for politicians to wade in, as Zack Polanski did, is disgraceful. He's not fit to lead any political party," Starmer said.

Polanski responded to the prime minister's remarks. "Today the prime minister uses his office to attack the only Jewish party leader to score political points," he said.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley wrote a letter to Polanski describing the claim that officers had violently kicked the suspect as "inaccurate and misinformed commentary." In the letter, Rowley praised the officers as "nothing short of extraordinary" and said that without their efforts to stop the suspect he dreaded to think what the outcome could have been. Rowley also said the Metropolitan Police would need more resources to protect Jewish communities.

"I'm simply dealing with operational policing and defending my officers because I want them to have confidence to protect Londoners. Officers need confidence in confronting these dangerous people, and if an eminent person thoughtlessly steps into that and undermines that, then I'm going to deal with that," Rowley said.

Essa Suleiman, 45, appeared in court charged with the attempted murders of three people during two knife attacks in London on Wednesday — one in Golders Green and one during a personal dispute in south London.