Mistakes may have been made in the arrest of six anti-monarchy protesters ahead of the king’s coronation, Labor frontbencher Lisa Nandy has suggested, after the Metropolitan police said no action would be taken. against them.
Nandy said “something went wrong” amid mounting pressure on the government as well as the police to account for the arrests.
The UK’s biggest police force expressed “regret” on Monday that six demonstrators from the Republic campaign group were arrested ahead of Saturday’s coronation.
Graham Smith, the head of the group, said it was considering legal action and demanded an investigation into the conduct of officers, after it was revealed a chief inspector and two other Met officers had apologized to him in his home in Reading on Monday.
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and a Home Office official insisted that “the police are independent of government operations”, but as the Home Office pushed through controversial new powers for the police in the Public Order Act days before the coronation, the pressure is likely to continue. to mount.
At the weekend, the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, defended the Met’s actions, saying they had struck the “right balance” between allowing the protest and enjoying the coronation.
Commenting on the arrests on Tuesday, Nandy told BBC Breakfast: “Clearly, there is something wrong with this case.
“Peaceful protest is an important part of British democracy. The Met accepts that and I think the mayor of London is right to ask for a review to find out exactly what went wrong in this case.
“Whatever it is, it’s a complex police operation. It’s largely seamless and I think the police deserve credit for that. But when there are incidents like this, we have to take it seriously And I think it’s right that we learn the lessons and take steps to correct that.”
On the use of powers under the controversial Public Order Act, he said: “It is not clear in this case whether the problem is with the legislation, or whether the problem is more practical and something for the police.”
Scotland Yard released a statement on Monday evening saying it believed the items found along with several placards – thought to be luggage straps – could be used as “locking devices”. .
“The investigation team is now thoroughly examining the seized items and investigating the entire circumstances of the arrest,” the statement added. “Those arrested said that the objects were to be used to secure their placards, and the investigation did not prove the intention to use them to lock and disrupt the activity.
“Tonight all six have had their bail revoked and no further action will be taken. We regret that those six people who were arrested did not join the wider group of protesters in Trafalgar Square and elsewhere along the procession route .
Health minister Neil O’Brien said the police “did a fantastic job” over the weekend of the royal coronation.
O’Brien refused to criticize the police operation, telling Sky News: “Overall, I think the police did a very good job over the weekend. Everything went smoothly.
“It is not for me to doubt every decision of the police. This is a difficult thing. You are among many people. I’m sure that sometimes the police don’t get every decision they make because no one can make every decision right every time. But overall, they made the coronation go smoothly. “
He defended the Public Order Act, telling the BBC: “I think the new law is absolutely necessary and I fully defend it.”