Victims of political police spying have handed a letter to the Home Secretary today calling for reform of the undercover policing inquiry. They have demanded proper disclosure of information about police spying operations and the appointment of a diverse panel able to identify the role institutional racism, institutional sexism and political bias played in undercover operations.
The Inquiry follows revelations by former undercover police officer Peter Francis that undercover officers spied on Labour MPs including the late Bernie Grant MP.
Shamik Dutta acts for Mrs Sharon Grant OBE, wife of the late Bernie Grant MP, together with eight other core participants in the Inquiry.
Mrs Sharon Grant OBE said:
“Three years have passed since Peter Francis disclosed that Bernie and other Labour MPs were spied upon and yet I am still no closer to knowing who carried out that spying, who authorised it and why they did it.
Most of the MPs spied upon were Labour MPs, many of the campaigns Bernie worked on focussed on anti-racism and exposing police misconduct and I fear this Conservative Home Secretary has a vested interest in shielding the truth from public scrutiny.
I am becoming increasingly disappointed, exhausted and mistrustful and unless a panel of experts is appointed I have little faith in the Inquiry identifying how institutional racism and political bias impacted upon police spying operations.”
Read the full press release here.
