A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after two properties linked to Sir Keir Starmer were damaged in London.
The Metropolitan Police said the suspect was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday, and he remains in custody.
Emergency services were called to blazes at the doors of two homes in north London within 24 hours of each other – one just after 1.30am on Monday and the other on Sunday.
Police are investigating whether the fires were linked, and counterterrorism officers are leading the inquiry because the properties have connections to a high-profile public figure.
Scotland Yard is also looking into a vehicle fire on 8 May as part of the probe.
On Monday, a police cordon and officers, as well as investigators from the London Fire Brigade (LFB), could be seen outside a Kentish Town property, where the prime minister used to live.
Sir Keir is understood to still own the home, but lives at the PM’s official residence in Downing Street. It is understood that a family member of the prime minister is renting the property from him.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “As a precaution and due to the property having previous connections with a high-profile public figure, officers from the Met’s counter terrorism command are leading the investigation into this fire.
“Enquiries are ongoing to establish what caused it. All three fires are being treated as suspicious at this time, and enquiries remain ongoing.”
The prime minister’s official spokesperson added: “I can only say that the prime minister thanks the emergency services for their work, and it is subject to a live investigation. So I can’t comment any further.”
Police were alerted by the LFB to reports of a fire at the residential address at 1.35am on Monday.
Damage was caused to the property’s entrance, but nobody was hurt.
In the early hours of Sunday, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house converted into flats in nearby Islington, which is also linked to Sir Keir.
One person was assisted to safety via an internal staircase by crews wearing breathing apparatus, LFB said.
The car fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday 8 May, in the same street as the Kentish Town property.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper said she had been briefed about the incidents.
She told BBC Breakfast: “You are right that the police are investigating these incidents, and they have my full support in doing so.
“I have been briefed about these incidents, but you will understand, as home secretary, I obviously cannot comment in any detail on the investigations that are ongoing.
“We need to support the police in those investigations. The prime minister has thanked the emergency services.
“We really do have excellent police teams in this country who work on these investigations, and we will support them in that work.”
Speaking to Sky News, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said it is “important that the prime minister and anyone in public life has their family, their homes, protected”.
“We have robust disagreements in politics, but I want to ensure anyone who chooses to go into public life feels that they’ll be properly protected and that we have civility in our debate,” he added.
“It is absolutely wrong, disgraceful, for any individual to take the kind of action that we saw against the prime minister’s home.”
