Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her oral contribution of 2 September 2024 in response to the question from the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich, Official Report, column 70, on what evidential basis she said that two-tier policing does not occur in England and Wales.

Schedule 4 of the Police Act 1996 requires all police constables to make a declaration that they will carry out their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality. This means that the police must, and do, enforce the law without fear or favour.

The use of police powers to maintain public order is an operational decision for the relevant force and how they choose to exercise those powers will depend on the circumstances of a particular incident.

The previous Home Secretary (the Rt Hon Member for Fareham and Waterlooville) was rightly dismissed from her position for suggesting otherwise.