Home secretary Suella Braverman has accused the Metropolitan Police of “playing favourites” by allowing a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day to go ahead.
Labour immediately accused Ms Braverman of being “out of control” after she claimed police bias had stopped right-wing protests but permitted “pro-Palestinian mobs” to demonstrate.
She also claimed Islamists were using Saturday’s demo to express “primacy” and compared it to extremist rallies in Northern Ireland with links to terrorism.
Senior Conservatives called her comments “unhinged” and “ignorant”, while Tory transport Mark Harper said he disagreed with his cabinet colleague and insisted that Britain’s police forces were not bias.
Ms Braverman’s attack comes after Rishi Sunak conceded that the pro-Palestine march will go ahead – but insisted Scotland Yard’s decision is kept under “constant review”.
The PM had hauled in Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley for an emergency meeting about the march – saying he would hold the Scotland Yard boss “accountable” if there was trouble.
Writing in The Times, Ms Braverman said: “I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza. They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups - particularly Islamists - of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.”
The home secretary said: “Also disturbingly reminiscent of Ulster are the reports that some of Saturday’s march group organisers have links to terrorist groups, including Hamas.”
Ms Braverman also claimed “there is a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters”, before claiming some current police officers have also complained about a “double standard”.
Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak have put pressure on police— (PA Wire)
She said: “Right-wing and nationalist protesters who engage in aggression are rightly met with a stern response yet pro-Palestinian mobs displaying almost identical behaviour are largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law?”
“Football fans are even more vocal about the tough way they are policed as compared to politically connected minority groups favoured by the left,” she added.
One senior Tory figure told the BBC Ms Braverman’s latest comments were “unhinged”, while another Conservative source called the comparison with Northern Ireland “offensive and ignorant”.
One former Conservative minister told The Independent that Suella Braverman now a “liability” for the Tories and said Rishi Sunak would be damaged if he “lets her continue peddling inflated rhetoric”.
Another senior Tory said Ms Braverman’s push for the leadership was behind “everything she does” and said “her strings are pulled” by John Hayes – the MP who leads the Tory Common Sense Group.
A Tory minister said Ms Braverman “dangerous and irresponsible” for “fuelling” the chances of disorder by far-right groups on Saturday. “Her job is to calm things,” the minister told the i.
Protesters during recent march organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign in London— (PA Wire)
Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Suella Braverman is out of control”, adding: “No other home secretary of any party would ever do this.”
She said the home secretary’s article “is a highly irresponsible, dangerous attempt to undermine respect for police at a sensitive time, to rip up operational independence and to inflame community tensions”.
Mr Harper, the transport secretary, said he disagreed with Ms Braverman’s remarks. “I think all police forces are focused on upholding the law without fear or favour. That’s what they do.” He told Times Radio: “I’m not going to indulge in textual analysis of her article.”
Even right-wing Tory peer Lord Greenhalgh – a former deputy mayor for policing in London – said Ms Braverman’s comments had crossed a line. “I just don’t think that’s a reasonable way for a home secretary to behave,” he told BBC’s Newsnight.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said Ms Braverman’s latest words accusing the police of bias were “inaccurate, inflammatory and irresponsible”.
And Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said Ms Braverman was trying desparately to be the next Tory leader. “The home secretary’s desire to stoke divisions and ramp up tensions in this way is irresponsible and dangerous.”
Sir Tom Winsor, former HM chief inspector of constabulary, said Ms Braverman’s claims of police bias were “unprecedented” and “crosses the line”. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it’s contrary to the letter of that constitutional settlement.”
Suella Braverman has been accused of ‘trying to get fired’— (PA Wire)
Sir Tom said it would now be “much more difficult” now for Met chief Sir Mark to apply to halt the march. Former chief superintendent of the Met, Dal Babu, also described Ms Braverman’s assault on Scotland Yard’s independence as “unprecedented”.
Mr Babu told Sky News: “We are not Russia. We are not China. We are not Iran. We need to ensure that we facilitate demonstrations that are lawful and deal with individuals that break the law.”
Ms Braverman’s article is only her latest controversy in recent days. She has described the protests as “hate marches”, claimed some people were homeless as a “lifestyle choice” and proposed restricting tents for rough sleepers.
Amid claims she is trying to get fired by Mr Sunak, the home secretary’s camp said her latest highly-controversial op-ed was seen by No 10 before it was published.
Sir Mark has come under huge pressure from Mr Sunak, Ms Braverman and other senior Tory ministers to ban Saturday’s march in London – but has said the law would only allow him to do so only in “extreme cases”.
Former Met assistant commissioner Neil Basu condemned the pressure put on by Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman during the saga – arguing we are “witnessing the end of operational independence of policing” in the UK.
Suella Braverman and Met chief Sir Mark Rowley— (PA Archive)
Mr Basu told LBC that it would “go against the law” if the Sir Mark banned the march without the sufficient evidence, saying “no politician should be putting a chief constable in that place”.
The Met Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: “Ministers should support our frontline officers. The commissioner is of the opinion that it can go ahead and we can police it. Job done. It is unfair that politicians are coming out with talk of holding people to account.”
The Met had urged march organisers to “urgently reconsider” the event on Saturday because of a growing risk of violence, but the pro-Palestinian coalition behind it have refused to call it off.
The force could request the power to ban the event under Section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986 – but that would only apply if there was the threat of serious public disorder.
The planned route for the London march goes from Hyde Park – about a mile from the war memorial in Whitehall – to the US embassy in Vauxhall, south of the Thames.
Meanwhile, the secretary of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign was working for Labour until this week, The Sun reported. Ben Soffa had been the party’s head of digital organising, but he said he was now “off to explore new opportunities”.
A Labour source said: “We’re grateful to Ben for all his work for the party and wish him all the best for the future.”
