THE Government has pledged to provide more legal protection for armed police officers after many downed their weapons yesterday in protest at a colleague being charged with murder.

He told GB News: “There is a reasonable point that police officers are entitled to have clarity over how they will be treated if force is used.

“I think it’s critical that the police are supported by the Government and others to ensure that were force is used protecting the public, the police are treated fairly, reasonably and quickly because it is it’s vital that the police can do their job is vital the police can protect us, including, for example in pursuing criminals.

“And this government will make sure the police are enabled to do their job and don’t suffer from either unreasonable investigations where something happens or investigations that are very, very protracted.

“It definitely serves the public interest to make sure that the police are able to protect us, to protect the public, where that needs to happen without the police needing to worry unduly about legal jeopardy.”

In a discussion during Breakfast with Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster, he added: “We will make sure through this review that the police are able to do their job protecting the public looking after each and every one of us without being at risk of unreasonable legal jeopardy.

“Now of course that needs to be processed to make sure that the police conduct themselves in a way that is proper, but that can’t lead to unreasonable investigations and it can lead to investigations that hang over officers for years and years.

“It is not in the public interest or that happens because we need the police to be out there proactively protecting the public.”

He also confirmed that ministers are considering changes to the HS2 rail project: “What I do know is that there have been significant cost overruns as people know, that the estimated cost of building the line has gone up a lot.

“And as I understand it, the Chancellor and Prime Minister are looking at those cost overruns and are looking at ways of trying to get the cost back down, which taxpayers would expect, but no decisions at all have been made and it’s important to say.”