Ukrainian becomes third man charged with fires linked to UK PM Starmer

British police on Wednesday charged a third man, a Ukrainian national, with arson offences over fires at properties and a car linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

On five days earlier this month, police were called to fires at a house in north London owned by Starmer, another at a property nearby where he used to live, and to a blaze involving a car that used to belong to the British leader.

Petro Pochynok, 34, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life and will appear in a London court later on Wednesday, police said.

Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, who was born in Ukraine, have been remanded in police custody after being charged over the past few days in connection with the fires.

None of the suspects have been charged under terrorism laws or the new National Security Act which aims to target hostile state activity.

Starmer, who has lived at his official 10 Downing Street residence in central London since becoming prime minister last July, has called the incidents "an attack on all of us, on our democracy and the values we stand for".

Reuters