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Theresa May defends water cannon statement Theresa May defends water cannon statement
(35 minutes later)
Theresa May has defended the way she announced her decision not to authorise water cannon in England and Wales.Theresa May has defended the way she announced her decision not to authorise water cannon in England and Wales.
The home secretary said it was a "important decision" about the nature of British policing and a statement to Parliament had been appropriate. The home secretary said it was an "important decision" about the nature of British policing and a statement to Parliament had been appropriate.
It comes after Boris Johnson, London mayor, reportedly said it was part of a move to ruin his leadership ambitions. Boris Johnson, London mayor, reportedly said she made "a song and dance" about it to harm his leadership ambitions.
He had authorised the purchase of three second-hand cannon for London police after the 2012 riots in the capital. He had approved the purchase of three second-hand cannon after the 2011 riots in London.
The London mayor and Conservative MP - who is tipped as a potential successor to David Cameron - has said Mrs May was "wrong" to reject their use.
Friends of his were quoted as saying it was a deliberate move by Mrs May and Chancellor George Osborne - who are also in the running to be the next Conservative leader - to "humiliate" him, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The paper reports that he was only informed of the home secretary's decision shortly before the Commons statement - at which he was present.
It quotes him as saying to a friend afterwards: "Why would you do that? There was no need to make a song and dance about it. Why make a statement now on a hypothetical policing situation? It was so discourteous."
But Mrs May defended her actions, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I felt it was appropriate that that was made by an oral statement in the House of Commons
"As is always the case with oral statement every effort is made to ensure that Parliament are the first to hear the announcement."
In that statement, Mrs May had told MPs that "without safeguards" water cannon had "the capacity to cause harm".
Criticising the decision at the time in the Commons, Mr Johnson said he "failed to see the physiological difference" between people in Northern Ireland - where cannon are used - and elsewhere.
He said the police had told him after the 2011 riots that they wanted to use water cannon as "an intermediate means of crowd control".
The three Wasserwerfer 9000 cannon were bought from the German police for £218,000.
But the BBC has learned that the total cost, including transportation, re-fits, maintenance and officer training, comes to £328,883.