Policing Bill is cause for great concern

DESPITE Boris Johnson seeking to postpone the hugely controversial Policing Bill until after the local elections to prevent the massive backlash against the anti-democratic proposals impacting on the ballot box, we should still be very concerned.

Under the proposed legislation, any protest march or gathering can be banned for being “annoying.”

Anyone then proceeding to protest or march despite a ban, could be jailed for 10 years! This is a greater punishment than for rape, burglary or assault.

That Home Secretary Priti Patel should bring in such draconian measures is deeply ironic. She does not have a good record herself of following rules in public life.

In 2017, when international development secretary, she was forced to resign from Theresa May’s Cabinet after holding unofficial meetings with Israeli ministers, business people and a senior lobbyist and not being candid with the PM about those meetings.

More recently, allegations of bullying brought against Ms Patel resulted in the government having to pay out a £340,000 settlement, plus £30,000 in costs, to former leading Home Office civil servant Sir Philip Rutnam.

Boris Johnson weakly chose to not accept the findings of the inquiry into the bullying allegations, and the senior civil servant who undertook the inquiry, Sir Alex Allan, resigned in protest.

Thus Priti Patel now seeks to bully peaceful protesters, whose protests she might find “annoying”!

Pete Milory Trowbridge