Legal threat over police chief’s ‘far right’ snipe
Tory candidate accuses Labour commissioner of slander
LABOUR Crime Commissioner David Jamieson is facing potential legal action after accusing Conservative election candidate Jay Singh Sohal of being ‘from the far right’.
The West Midlands police chief also claimed the Sikh Army captain held ‘the most extreme views’ as he backed his Labour replacement for the May 6 election, Simon Foster.
Mr Sohal said he was consulting lawyers over the attack in which Mr Jamieson accused him of wanting to ‘drag the police force back to the 1960s’.
The PCC Tory candidate, 38, who served in the Army for 12 years and remains a reservist, said: “He cannot say stuff like that, it’s a complete abuse. It is clear slander and I’m taking counsel.
“I’m just taking counsel at the moment, it’s absolutely clear anyone in any responsible position cannot get away with saying that.”
Mr Jamieson is standing down as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) at next month’s election.
He made the comments at a video launch of Mr Foster’s manifesto last Thursday and said: “We must win this election because we have the Tory candidate for the PCC is from the far right and has some most extreme views from what I have seen. Profoundly they do worry me that if he gets in that he should implement those.
“He’d try to drag the police force back to the 1960s rather than the 21st century that we are in now.
“And some of those attitudes
that prevailed in the 1960s such as the attitudes towards women and girls and the attitudes to poorer people, those would then prevail in my view.”
Handsworth-born former journalist Mr Sohal said he was
“speaking to lawyers” and added: “It needs to be addressed.”
Of the ‘far right’ comment, Mr Sohal added: “Firstly, I’m an Army captain, I’ve been security checked and vetted. I’ve worked at top-secret level on operations and would never ever have had that high security clearance if there was ever any issue or doubt on my character or my background.
“So what right has he got to sully and damage that? And secondly, the women and girls thing, speaking to colleagues, we just don’t know where on earth this has come from, but it’s clearly a dog-whistle and it’s clearly trying to make a connection on multiple levels.
“I think from a pre-slander point of view it’s outrageous and certainly from an abuse of power and position, anyone watching that who is a Labour activist will be left in no doubt what he’s trying to say.
“I’m not going to let this go.”
But in a statement Mr Jamieson said: “My intention was to say he has a right wing agenda and is far to the right of Labour’s reforming agenda.
“I am worried his policies would make the streets of the West Midlands less safe.
“Just last week the Tory candidate confirmed that he wants to close Lloyd House, which has Birmingham’s only 24 hour a day police station and a crucial 999 emergency call centre at it. He would take our force back to the 1960s.”
■ There are five candidates standing at the May 6 election for West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner. They are Simon Foster Labour, Jay Singh Sohal - Conservative, Jon Hunt - Lib Dems, Julie Hambleton - Independent and Desmond Jaddoo - We Matter Party.