The MP for Streatham queried Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today on the publication date for the long-awaited Pitchford Inquiry, first announced eight years ago.
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy stated that it was unsuitable for taxpayer’s money to be spent on extensive state surveillance in a democratic society.
The inquiry is investigating allegations of misconduct by undercover police officers working for Scotland Yard in England and Wales over a number of years.
Speaking at Prime Ministers’ Questions earlier today, Ribeiro-Addy said: “We’re seeing huge swathes of public money being spent, recording political dissent on social media under the guise of tackling misinformation.
“Politicians including myself, the Leader of the Opposition, academics, activists, journalists and even members of the public have been subject to monitoring by Whitehall officials.
“This is at the same time as we are awaiting the report of the Pitchford Inquiry into questionable state surveillance on campaigns such as the Stephen Lawrence campaign.”
Sunak was unable to give a fixed date for the publication of the inquiry but reiterated that his government always believed in “free speech” and would continue to “protect it whenever they could.”
The Home Secretary at the time, Theresa May, annouced the Pitchford Inquiry in March 2015 with its report planned for publication for later this year.
This was as a result of a string of allegations about the behaviour of undercover units, with the overall aim to examine the contribution of undercover policing in terms of addressing crime, its regulation and its effect on individuals involved.
Featured image credit: David Woolfall, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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