Police should reveal ethnicity of suspects, says Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper said the Government wanted to see 'more transparency', and existing guidance for police was in the process of being reviewed.
However, she stressed that ultimately the decision on what information was released remained an 'operational decision' for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
She made the comments in response to claims that authorities had tried to 'cover up' alleged offences by asylum seekers.
The issue has been the subject of fierce debate in a series of high-profile cases, including recently over the charging of two men – reported to be Afghan asylum seekers – after the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.
Asked whether she believed information about the ethnicity of suspects should be released, Ms Cooper told BBC Breakfast: 'We do want to see more transparency in cases. We think local people do need to have more information.'
'We are working with the College of Policing on strengthening and changing their guidance'
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told #BBCBreakfast she wants to see 'more transparency' over the background of suspects charged with crimes and is 'speeding up' a review of the rules by the… pic.twitter.com/l8HvGjtRqk
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) August 5, 2025
She added: 'Let me give you an example of another case where more information has been provided. When we had the very high-profile arrests and cases around both national security and terrorism cases being investigated, the police released the fact at the point of arrest that the suspect that they had arrested was Iranian.
'The Crown Prosecution Service set out what their immigration asylum status was at the point of charging them. So we know that it can be done. 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 is why we have asked the Law Commission to accelerate its review into what the rules are around what information can be released and when.'
The commission is conducting a review into what information is shared by the authorities when a suspect is arrested or charged. Ms Cooper said the Government had asked it to accelerate that work because 'we do think the guidance needs to change'.
The College of Policing said transparency was 'essential to prevent misinformation'. A 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.'
The Southport attack, committed by Axel Rudakubana in July last year, saw false rumours spread online that he was a Muslim asylum seeker, fuelling the riots that followed.
The same force, Merseyside Police, was more transparent when a car was driven into crowds during Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade, saying that a white British man had been arrested.
Emily Spurrell, Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that, in Rudakubana's case, the situation was complicated because he was under 18 when arrested, which created 'huge challenges' about what could be said.
She said: 'I think the police will always aim to be as transparent as possible, but they are limited because of their need to protect the criminal justice process.'
She acknowledged that 'we live in a very different world now' to when some of the guidance was first drafted because rumours could spread quickly online and there were 'bad actors who deliberately circulate false information to serve a particular agenda'.
The Nuneaton case has put fresh pressure on police over the information they make public. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was arrested on July 26 and charged the next day with rape, according to Warwickshire Police. He appeared at Coventry magistrates' court last Monday and has been remanded in custody.
Mohammad Kabir, 23, was arrested in Nuneaton on Thursday and charged with kidnap, strangulation and aiding and abetting rape of a girl under 13, the force added. He appeared at Coventry magistrates' court on Saturday and has been remanded in custody.
Warwickshire Police did not deny a Mail On Sunday report that said Mulakhil and Kabir were asylum seekers.
Nigel Farage, Reform UK's leader, and George Finch, the party's Warwickshire council leader, claimed there had been a 'cover-up'. Mr Farage said it was a 'cover-up that in many ways is reminiscent of what happened after the Southport killings last year'.
In a letter to the Home Secretary, Mr Finch claimed that a 'cover-up' of immigration status 'risks public disorder breaking out on the streets of Warwickshire'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
14 minutes ago
- ITV News
Chancellor defends UK Government funding for Wales
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has defended the level of the UK Government's spending in Wales during a visit to a coal tip remediation site near Port Talbot. Meeting Welsh Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford MS, she pointed to £118m allocated in the recent Spending Review over three years to improve disused coal tips across Wales. "The whole of the United Kingdom has benefited from coal in Wales and therefore it's right that the UK make sure that these communities are now safe" she said. The visit comes just one day after Eluned Morgan completed one year as First Minister, during which time she insisted she would "call out" Labour MPs in Westminster if they "get it wrong for Wales". Reeves said she continues to work closely with the First Minister and said the partnership has provided money for rail improvements in North and South Wales, "the biggest settlement since devolution", and a fall in NHS waiting lists in England and Wales. She also defended the UK Government's controversial rise in employers' National Insurance contributions. Previously Mark Drakeford called out the decision and said it was "wrong" that Wales' public services faces a shortfall of up to £65m due to the increases. Reeves justified the move, saying it was necessary to improve public services in Wales and England. She said: "We have now delivered millions more appointments in England and Wales over the last year in our NHS but that was only possible because we raised the money..." "I do recognise the challenges raises in National Insurance creates but without that money we would not be able to secure our public finances."
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man who was ‘fixated' with Anna Friel ordered not to contact her before sentence
A man who was 'fixated' with actress Anna Friel and stalked her for nearly three years has been ordered by a judge not to contact her ahead of his sentencing next month. Phil Appleton, 71, sent numerous messages, visited the actress's home address on several occasions and left 'unwanted' gifts between January 1 2022 and December 11 2024, Reading Crown Court previously heard. Appleton, of Windsor in Berkshire, pleaded guilty to a stalking offence under Section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 earlier this week. He was due to be sentenced on Thursday but judge Alan Blake adjourned the hearing until September 18 for a pre-sentence report to be carried out. The court heard that a psychiatrist had diagnosed Appleton with bipolar disorder and erotomania, where a person believes that someone else is in love with them. The psychiatrist said that Appleton had a 'fixation' with Friel and was trying to determine whether this was still the case, the court heard. The defendant, who the court heard has been in custody for six months and has spent time in a mental health facility, was granted conditional bail. Appleton must not contact Friel or enter the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, and is to co-operate with those conducting the pre-sentence report. A website under his name appears to suggest that he is an actor and retired pilot. Friel, 49, rose to fame with her role as Beth Jordache in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. She achieved international renown in 2007 starring as Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles in ABC comedy series Pushing Daisies. In 2017, she won the International Emmy for Best Actress for her role as the title character in the ITV and Netflix mystery drama series Marcella.
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Missing out on £54m research fund ‘undermines' northern universities, say mayors
Universities in northern England face having their contribution to the economy undermined after they missed out on a share of £54 million, eight mayors have warned. A total 12 institutions have access to the money to help attract 60 to 80 leading researchers into the UK. But the mayors, including Labour's Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, Steve Rotheram in Liverpool and Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire, have called on the Government to build a 'new funding model that truly reflects the strengths and aspirations of all of our regions'. They warned that investment was 'concentrated disproportionately in London and the South East'. According to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the money is intended to bolster industrial strategy by helping universities to back research in sectors such as life sciences, defence and the creative industries. Beneficiaries include Oxford and Cambridge universities, the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, which is also based in Cambridge, Imperial College London and the University of Birmingham. Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, the University of Strathclyde in Scotland and Cardiff University in Wales are also listed as being in line for money from the fund. But northern universities' 'exclusion from the Global Talent Fund undermines their contribution to the UK's economic success, as well as the Government's stated commitment to rebalance our economy', the mayors wrote in a joint statement. They said: 'We are deeply disappointed that universities in the north of England, some of the best and brightest in the world, have once again been overlooked in the allocation of national innovation funding, despite their research credentials. 'The North is home to some of the UK's most innovative, high-performing universities. These institutions drive the development of life-changing technologies and work hand in hand with industry to create good jobs and grow the economy.' The cross-party group added: 'As mayors, we stand ready to support the Government in its mission to make the UK a global science superpower. 'But to truly deliver on that mission, investment in innovation must reflect the full breadth and depth of talent that exists across the country, not continue to be concentrated disproportionately in London and the South East. 'We are calling for urgent reform to ensure greater transparency and fairness in how public research and innovation funding is allocated. 'Strategic funds like this must support national growth, and that means recognising and investing in the full potential of the North of England and the 15 million people we collectively represent. 'We urge UK Research and Innovation to think again, review this disappointing decision and work together with us on creating a new funding model that truly reflects the strengths and aspirations of all of our regions, to build a brighter Britain that works for us all.' Reform UK mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell, and Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, Lord Houchen of High Leven, joined the Labour politicians – who also include the South Yorkshire, North East and York and North Yorkshire mayors Oliver Coppard, Kim McGuinness and David Skaith – in signing the statement. Backing the fund last month, science minister Lord Vallance said 'genius is not bound by geography'. He continued: 'But the UK is one of the few places blessed with the infrastructure, skills base, world-class institutions and international ties needed to incubate brilliant ideas, and turn them into new medicines that save lives, new products that make our lives easier, and even entirely new jobs and industries.'
