Police should focus on tackling crime, Sir Keir Starmer has suggested in his first public comments about the free speech row over social media remarks by the Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson.
A row over police priorities has broken out after Pearson, a 64-year-old Telegraph journalist, was visited by police officers at her home on Remembrance Sunday regarding an investigation into a social media post from November 2023.
Starmer was asked by media outlets including GB News on the flight to the G20 summit of world leaders in Brazil whether police should be prioritising free speech over hurt feelings.
He replied: “Firstly, obviously, this is a matter for the police themselves, police force by police force.
Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 summit in Brazil
PA
“So they can make their decisions and will obviously be held to account for those decisions.
“There is a review going on of this particular aspect but, you know, I think that as a general principle the police should concentrate on what matters most to their communities.”
Number 10 sources said that in the PM’s view focusing “on what matters most to communities” equated to “tackling crime”.
The comments will put even more pressure on police over the controversial case which as so far involved three of Britain’s largest police forces, with the Metropolitan Police initially receiving the report as a potential breach of the Malicious Communications Act.
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Allison Pearson was visited by police officers at her home on Remembrance Sunday regarding an investigation into a social media post from November 2023
GB News
It was then passed to Sussex Police, who marked it as both a possible non-crime hate incident and potential malicious communication, before being transferred to Essex Police.Essex Police opened a formal investigation under section 17 of the Public Order Act 1986, relating to material allegedly likely to cause racial hatred.
The force has requested Pearson attend a voluntary interview, which she has indicated she is “minded to attend” with legal representation.
The news came after shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has called for police to focus on “genuine crime” rather than “policing thought” following the investigation of journalist Allison Pearson over a social media post.
Philp told GB News: “It is ridiculous that public figures, journalists, but actually members of the public as well are getting police attention for essentially expressing opinions.
“The police should concentrate on crime, genuine crime, not on policing thought.”