Sir Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have piled pressure on the police to reveal more details relating to suspects amid a growing row over an alleged lack of transparency around investigations.
The prime minister and home secretary said all authorities should be “as transparent as possible” about those who have been charged with crimes such as rape and sexual assault, in comments that will be seen at odds with the stance of many police forces.
It comes after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said police forces should release information including immigration status about people who are charged with crimes, claiming Warwickshire Police have been part of a “cover-up” oover details of an alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton in July.
Asked about the demands on Monday, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “All authorities, from the police to central government, should be as transparent as possible for handling these cases”.
The home secretary doubled down on the PM’s comments on Tuesday morning, saying police should routinely reveal the nationality and asylum status of criminal suspects. She said she is working with the College of Policing to develop new guidance to promote transparency.
The College of Policing currently makes transparency decisions on a case-by-case basis, which individual forces using their discretion to decide what information should be released.
It came after government sources told The Times that increased transparency would help to “rebuild public trust”, amid flaring tensions over the government’s handling of the migrant crisis.
“We do want to see more transparency in cases. We think local people do need to have more information”, Ms Cooper told BBC Breakfast.
“It is an operational decision about how much information can be revealed in the middle of a live investigation, but we do want to see greater transparency.
“That’s why we’ve asked the Law Commission to accelerate its review into what the rules are around what information can be released and when… and we’re also working with the College of Policing on strengthening and changing their guidance as well”.
The row comes after two men, reported as being Afghan asylum seekers, were charged in relation to the alleged rape in Nuneaton.
Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was charged with rape last week in relation to the alleged incident. Meanwhile, Mohammad Kabir, also 23, was charged with kidnap and strangulation in the same investigation.
Warwickshire Police have not released the immigration status of the two suspects and defended its decision not to do so, adding: “When someone is charged with an offence, we follow national guidance. This does not include sharing ethnicity or immigration status.”
Asked at a press conference on Monday whether the police should release the names, addresses and immigration status of people after they have been charged with an offence, Mr Farage said: “What caused unrest on our streets after Southport last year was us not being told the status of the attacker. That led to crazy conspiracy theories spreading online.”
George Finch, the 19-year-old leader of Warwickshire County Council, told Monday’s press conference that he was “begging” for information about the two to be released in the wake of the charges.
Mr Finch also said he had written a letter to Ms Cooper and the chief constable of Warwickshire Police which called for the immediate release of the immigration status of the two.
In his letter to the home secretary, published on X on Sunday, Mr Finch claimed that a “cover-up” of immigration status “risks public disorder breaking out on the streets of Warwickshire”.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also piled in on the row, saying “we need full transparency” from the police.
“We should know the ethnicity and the nationality of suspects, of perpetrators, of victims. There shouldn’t be anything to hide.
“People will start losing faith in the justice system, in the police, if they feel that things are being hidden. So I would like to see full transparency as much as possible”, she said.
There have been escalating protests across the UK opposing the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, with a number of people arrested after a protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf in London on Sunday.
Protesters jeered at people going in and out of the hotel, and officers were forced to step in after flares were let off in the crowd, the Metropolitan Police said.
A group of people outside the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf were “harassing occupants and staff”, trying to prevent people make deliveries, as well as trying to “breach the fencing and access the hotel”, a statement from the force said.
In the wake of last summer’s Southport stabbings, where three young girls were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, Merseyside Police faced criticism for failing to release enough information on the identity of the attacker as misinformation spread online and riots took place across the country.
By contrast, after a driver ploughed into crowds during the Liverpool FC victory parade in May, within hours the force emailed out a press release including the suspect’s age, nationality and ethnicity in a clear attempt to prevent speculation and misinformation on social media.
A College of Policing spokesman said: “Media relations guidance for police is already under review and is looking at how forces can best balance their obligations under contempt of court legislation with their responsibility to prevent disorder.
“Police forces make challenging and complex decisions on a case-by-case basis and transparency is essential to prevent misinformation and reassure the public.”
