Reform UK is gunning for Home Secretary Yvette Cooper this morning, after comments emerged of here appearing to criticise the police’s handling of last year’s Manchester Airport incident. Yesterday, a thug involved in attacking police officers was convicted, sparking backlash against Labour MPs’ anti-police criticism at the time.
Ms Cooper herself said: “It is essential the police have the trust of the communities and the public rightly expect high standards from those in charge of keeping us safe.” This morning Nigel Farage said Ms Cooper’s comments highlight why Britain is now facing allegations of “two tier” justice. Speaking on LBC Mr Farage said: “This is where Two-Tier comes from. This incident happens at Manchester Airport, and months and months and months go by.
“Southport happens, and a woman with a previously wonderful record within days is in court and gets 31 months in prison.
“There are two police officers who were involved in that incident who are still under investigation by the IOPC, the police complaints procedure [body], and no wonder the Conservatives and others are saying what they are, because it does appear over all of this that the Home Secretary effectively did take sides.”
Asked if that was a “grave misstep” by the Home Secretary, Mr Farage agreed.
“If you put this together with what happened at Southport and the reactions to both and what was said by both, you can really understand how ‘Two-Tier Keir’ has really taken off.”
This morning fellow Reform MP Lee Anderson told the Express that Yvette Cooper should be sacked as Home Secretary “for being useless”.
Other Labour MPs are also under fire, including Rochdale MP Paul Waugh who branded the initial social media footage of the police’s actions, which did not include the previous attacks on the police themselves, as “shocking and disturbing”.
Mr Waugh told Parliament: “The footage of a Greater Manchester police officer stamping on and kicking a man in Manchester airport is truly shocking and disturbing.
“That man is one of my Rochdale constituents, and I am meeting his family later today.
“Our police face a difficult job every day to keep us all safe, but they know that they are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of conduct in their duties.”
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, floored Pc Lydia Ward with a punch to the face, which broke her nose and also knocked Pc Ellie Cook to the ground.
Both officers and their colleague, Pc Zachary Marsden, approached Amaaz, 20, at a car park ticket machine after a report that a male fitting his description had headbutted a customer at Starbucks cafe in T2 arrivals on July 23 last year.
Amaaz allegedly resisted, and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, is then said to have intervened as the prosecution said they inflicted a “high level of violence” on the Greater Manchester Police officers.
Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, said it was “truly shocking” and insisted Greater Manchester Police must refer itself to the IOPC.
Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain even claimed it showed a “complete abuse of power”, while Manchester Rusholme MP Afzal Khan demanded “meaningful assurances” from police chiefs after what he called “excessive force against an unarmed civilian.”
Mr Hussain told MPs in Parliament: “I have been inundated with messages of concern and upset from my constituents following the horrific images from Manchester airport, and I myself am deeply concerned about what can only be described as a complete abuse of power.
“Will the Leader of the House join me in declaring, to reassure the general public, that we should never have to witness such scenes of violence in a country such as ours where no authority is above the law, and that all necessary measures must be taken to investigate how and why such an incident arose?”
Bolton South and Walkden MP Yasmin Qureshi said she was “deeply concerned” by the video, adding “this has prompted serious public concern.”
Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams said she wanted to “associate myself” with Mr Waugh’s remarks about “the appalling incident at Manchester International Airport.”
On Wednesday a jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Amaaz guilty of the assault of Pc Ward causing actual bodily harm and the assault of emergency worker Pc Cook.
Amaaz was also convicted of the Starbucks assault of a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil.
Jurors – after 10 hours of deliberating – could not reach a verdict on allegations the two brothers assaulted Pc Marsden causing actual bodily harm.