Labour MP failed to challenge 'socialist' civil servant who said he wanted to 'hit' police officer
Hector Wesley's comments were not challenged by the audience at the Civil Service Club, which included Labour MP Kim Johnson
UK Parliament/X
A ‘socialist’ civil servant told a meeting of trade unionists that he was so angry with the police that he wanted to “hit” an officer, GB News can reveal.
Hector Wesley, a National Executive Committee member for the Public & Commercial Services Union, made the outburst amid a series of charged remarks.
Referring to a controversial strip-searching incident in Hackney, Mr Wesley said it was an “utter disgrace, I was absolutely furious … I was so angry” that he “might hit” the next police officer he saw.
He said he felt that way because the incident showed a “lack of consideration” about how police “interact with the community, and it is about race.”
Hector Wesley told a meeting of trade unionists that he was so angry with the police that he wanted to “hit” an officer
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His comments were not challenged by the audience at the Civil Service Club in central London, which included Labour MP Kim Johnson, who attended via Zoom.
In a recording passed to this broadcaster, Mr Wesley went on to say that he gets two complaints a month about “his tone,” adding, “I know what that’s about, that’s about race.”
His comments came at the launch of the PCS Black Members’ Network for London and the South East.
The event’s website said it would “discuss the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on black workers and combatting discrimination in our workplaces.”
It said the event was for “PCS Black members and allies.”
Mr Wesley’s account on X, formerly Twitter, says that he works for a “certain government department” and is a “democratic socialist.”
A LinkedIn profile with the same name as Mr Wesley lists HM Revenue & Customs as the current employer.
Mr Wesley was photographed in 2022 protesting against the government’s Rwanda deportations plan, telling a crowd that he was “proud” of the PCS opposing the policy.
Kim Johnson, the MP for Liverpool Riverside, told the meeting that sometimes the only way for representation to improve is when “white allies stand aside” in the trade union movement.
Her remarks came after she lamented “gatekeepers” in the movement.
Addressing a “comrade” in the meeting, the Labour socialist said that it was “a load of bull****” that Sir Mark Rowley, the chief of the Met Police, had not accepted the force being institutionally racist.
The condemnation of Mr Rowley comes after Baroness Louise Casey said the Met was institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.
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Kim Johnson told the meeting that sometimes the only way for representation to improve is when “white allies stand aside” in the trade union movement
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She wrote that “public respect has fallen to a low point. Londoners who do not have confidence in the Met outnumber those who do, and these measures have been lower amongst black Londoners for years.”
Baroness Casey slammed the Met as “yet to free itself of institutional racism.”
Sir Mark has consistently rejected the use of the term “institutional” to describe issues within the forces.
He has argued that it was an “ambiguous” and political term that could suggest most officers in London were racist.
In the meeting at the Civil Service Club, a host said that Sir Mark was a “gatekeeper,” before referring to how “outspoken” officers do not progress.
In one of the final questions of the session, a Home Office civil servant said if you bring up a race case, employment tribunals will say that an incident was not racist if the accused is an ethnic minority.
“Everybody is white, all the senior managers, and then you’ll have that one token ethnic minority, and that’s the person who will be doing the disciplinary thing.”
They said this was part of a “trend” that is going on, but these trends can’t be shown because it is “complex” and “covert.”
They added that for a comparison, people should look to Home Secretary James Cleverly. Because he is a “person of colour,” they argued that the Home Office will argue that its initiatives “can’t possibly be … racist.”
The civil servant, who has lost a race discrimination employment tribunal case, did not have their remarks challenged by any of the people attending.
An aide to the Home Secretary told GB News: “We reject both the wrong and politically motivated analysis of the Home Secretary’s role or the suggestion of how he discharges that role.
“Indeed we reject the description given of any Government policies.
An aide to the home secretary dismissed comments made at a PCS Union meeting
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“The Home Secretary is confident enough to act on his own behalf to deliver policies he ultimately decides on.
“This includes backing, as he’d expect anyone to do, robust police action if anyone assaulted a police officer.”
Kim Johnson MP went on to answer a question about Labour’s Race Equality Act, telling the audience that “the act will give equal pay to black people the way that it’s mandated against women now.”
She added: “It’s about people holding organisations and employers to account … it’s also down to individual members of staff.
“If they feel something is wrong, then they need to challenge that at all levels, whether that’s through the union or structures in the workplace.
“We as a trade union have that kind of support to challenge that. Things will get better under Labour and the Race Equality Act.”
Rory Geoghegan, founder of the Public Safety Foundation, said: “Frontline police officers already have enough challenges and threats to face, without activist civil servants talking about wanting to assault police officers.
“We all depend upon hard-working police officers to help keep our neighbourhoods safe, so it’s disappointing that elected politicians and other civil servants present failed to challenge or seek clarification of the remarks.”
When contacted for comment, an office manager for Kim Johnson said they do not engage with GB News and accused the channel of “whipping up racism.”
The PCS Union said it was union policy not to engage with GB News.
The Labour Party did not respond when contacted for comment.