Braverman wrong to slam Met over rally – report

Suella Braverman should not have publicly criticised the Met Police over its handling of pro-Palestinian marches, a watchdog has found.

Writing in The Times in November, the former home secretary accused the force of bias in policing the protests.
Ch Insp of Constabulary Andy Cooke has said she should have made the comments in private, if they were appropriate.

In a report, ordered by Ms Braverman herself, he also details how police chiefs claimed to have often been subject to “improper” political interference.

This included pressure from Ms Braverman to ban a march planned for Armistice Day.
She had previously publicly criticised the timing of this event, while the then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asked the organisers to cancel the rally.

Mr Sunak later sacked Ms Braverman after she was accused of stoking tensions ahead of protests in London, which were being held in response to the Israel-Gaza protest.

In her article, she said “pro-Palestinian mobs” were “largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law”, while aggressive right-wing protesters are met with a stern response by officers, whom she accused of “double standards”.
But the force said it had no legal powers to ban the march due to a lack of intelligence indicating any risks.

More than 100 arrests were made after right-wing protesters clashed with officers, while some members of the large pro-Palestinian march were accused of using antisemitic slogans.