Suella Braverman has asked Lancashire Constabulary to explain why personal details about Nicola Bulley’s health were made public, as the force faces a potential watchdog investigation over an incident days before her disappearance.
It comes amid outrage over the disclosure of claims regarding the mother-of-two’s alcohol consumption and experience of menopause, with a former police watchdog questioning how the information was “even vaguely relevant”.
A source close to Ms Braverman said: “The home secretary was concerned by the disclosure of Ms Bulley’s personal information by Lancashire Police and asked the force for an explanation.”
Police responded on Thursday evening, and the Home Office said the home secretary and policing minister would continue to receive “regular updates on the handling of this case”.
The rare intervention could spark questions over the government’s respect for the principle of operational independence in British policing.
A 2011 law calls it a “fundamental principle” and states that: “At all times the chief constable, their constables and staff, remain operationally independent in the service of the communities that they serve.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, the officer leading the investigation into Ms Bulley’s disappearance refused to provide details of “individual vulnerabilities” that caused her to be officially graded as a high-risk missing person.
But later in the day, Lancashire Constabulary released a statement saying she had “suffered with some significant issues with alcohol which were brought on by her ongoing struggles with the menopause”.
Ms Bulley’s family said that the force told them beforehand that the information would be released, and that it was done to stop “appalling” people speculating and selling false stories about her.
“The police know the truth about Nikki and now the public need to focus on finding her,” a statement added.
“Due to the peri menopause Nikki suffered with significant side effects such as brain fog, restless sleep and was taking HRT [hormone replacement therapy] to help, but this was giving her intense headaches which caused Nikki to stop taking the HRT thinking that may have helped her but only ended up causing this crisis.”
Relatives said they were being regularly updated and supported by the police, amid intense public interest in the case, amateur investigations and commentary by retired detectives.
Zoe Billingham, a former HM inspector of constabulary, questioned why the information on Ms Bulley’s health was “vaguely relevant” almost three weeks into the probe.
“If there were issues relating to Nicola that needed to be put into the public domain, why wasn’t this done earlier?” she asked on BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme.
“I think we need to think about what message this sends to women, what confidence they will have in future to report their mum, their sister, to the police as missing if there’s a fear that deeply personal information will be put into the public domain for no apparent reason.”
Ms Billingham called the statement on menopause “tone-deaf” and said it would be “inconceivable” for comparable information about a missing man’s reproductive status to be made public.
Questions were also raised by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, who said she was concerned about the “very unusual” disclosure and had asked police for more information.
“I do want further information because it’s so unusual to provide that level of detailed information about someone who is missing in this way and so I do have concerns about it,” she told The News Agents podcast.
After initially deciding not to refer any potential issues relating to its investigation to a watchdog, Lancashire Constabulary performed a U-turn on Thursday.
It came hours after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced that it had contacted the force to “determine if a referral may be required”, in light of information disclosed the previous day.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “This afternoon we received a referral from Lancashire Constabulary regarding contact the force had with Nicola Bulley on 10 January, prior to her disappearance.
“We are assessing the available information to determine whether an investigation into that contact may be required and if so, who should conduct that investigation.”
On Wednesday, investigators admitted that officers and health professionals had responded to a “concern for welfare” at Ms Bulley’s home on 10 January – just over two weeks before her disappearance – and that the incident was still under investigation.
The 45-year-old has been missing since 27 January, and the case has become the subject of intense public speculation and amateur search efforts.
She vanished after dropping off her daughters, aged six and nine, at school in St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire.
She was last seen at 9.10am taking her usual route with her springer spaniel Willow, alongside the River Wyre.
Her phone, still connected to a work call for her job as a mortgage adviser, was found just over 20 minutes later on a bench overlooking the riverbank, with her dog running loose.
Police have condemned “false information, accusations and rumours” over their “unprecedented” search efforts, encompassing the river and surrounding farmland.
