Police Federation accused of 'squandering money' after spending £500,000 trying to stifle free speech

Fintan Starkey
Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:08:42 +0000

The Police Federation has been accused of "squandering money" after the High Court found it had unlawfully suspended two branch officials over remarks they made concerning race, costing over £500,000.

Documents obtained through freedom of information requests reveal the organisation, which represents 145,000 officers across England and Wales, paid £326,427 to solicitors and an additional £201,480 in barristers' fees, including costs for a King's Counsel.

Rick Prior, former head of the Metropolitan Police Federation, and Richard Cooke from the West Midlands branch both successfully challenged their suspensions through judicial review.

With the federation now liable for the legal costs incurred by both men, the total bill for the failed action is expected to reach approximately £840,000, all funded through officer subscriptions.

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Mr Prior faced suspension after appearing on television to warn that officers were growing increasingly anxious about using force, fearing they could become targets of unfounded racism complaints.

He stated: "There seems to be an assumption of racism right from the off, particularly when it's a white officer and a member of the public from a minority ethnic community.

"And it almost seems as if the onus is then on the police officer to prove that the interaction wasn't racist."

The federation deemed his remarks potentially discriminatory and suspended him the following day.

He was subsequently dismissed after telling The Telegraph he might expect better treatment in North Korea.

Mr Cooke, who represents 7,000 West Midlands officers, was suspended after posting on X that he rejected claims of widespread racism and misogyny within his force.

He wrote: "I don't recognise these attitudes. They do not represent us we are an anti-racist organisation."

The High Court delivered its ruling in January, determining that the federation had breached both officials' Article 10 right to freedom of expression.

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The judge concluded that as elected representatives, Mr Prior and Mr Cooke were entitled to speak on matters of public concern, including race relations, policing standards and officer confidence.

Following the defeat, the federation initially lodged an appeal against the judgment.

However in March, the organisation announced it was abandoning the legal challenge.

The suspensions had prevented both men from standing in last year's Police Federation of England and Wales elections.

A crowdfunding campaign organised by the Free Speech Union had enabled Mr Prior and Mr Cooke to bring their judicial review, after the federation engaged a leading law firm and prominent criminal barrister to contest the case.

Mr Prior condemned the federation's handling of the matter, saying: "The Police Federation has squandered approaching a million pounds on this failed judicial review, all to silence elected representatives and override the democratic choice of rank-and-file officers."

Mr Cooke expressed similar frustration: "What a waste of money this has been. And let's not forget this is money given in good faith by tens of thousands of hard-working colleagues.

"It ought to be spent on officer welfare and campaigning for enhanced pay and conditions, not abused in this way."

Dr Bryn Harris, chief legal counsel of the Free Speech Union, described the federation's defence as "misconceived" and questioned how its "obdurate and ultimately self-defeating stance" served the public interest.

A federation spokesman maintained the organisation had "a legal and ethical obligation to properly address complaints about conduct and behaviour".