Anti-racism campaigners have criticised proposals to allow police to reveal the ethnicity and migration status of suspects, following a row over claims that police 'covered up' the backgrounds of two men charged in connection with the alleged rape of a child. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC she hoped the Law Commission would 'accelerate' a review of contempt of court rules, adding that 'guidance needs to change' regarding information released before a trial.
The Runnymede Trust, an anti-racism group, warned that the proposals risk framing violence against women and girls as an issue of ethnicity rather than misogyny. Its chief executive, Dr Shabna Begum, said the plans 'do nothing to address the urgent issues of male sexual violence' and instead 'fixate on nationality and asylum status' as part of an 'increasingly aggressive far-right agenda'. The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) also criticised the move, stating it would 'undermine' justice.
The debate was reignited after George Finch, the Reform UK leader of Warwickshire County Council, accused police of a 'cover-up' over the migration status of two suspects charged after the alleged rape of a child, claiming they were asylum seekers. The force strongly denied a cover-up, saying it acted in line with national guidance. Downing Street has called for 'transparency' to rebuild public trust after false rumours spread following the 2024 Southport murders.
A recent report by the Runnymede Trust, analysing over 63 million words from news articles and parliamentary debates, found the word most strongly associated with migrants was 'illegal'. The report cited comments by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick linking migration to criminality and 'medieval attitudes towards women'. The trust warned that such claims 'normalise' violence against women by making it seem determined by ethnicity rather than misogyny.
Griff Ferris, interim director of communications at JCWI, said the proposal would 'undermine what's left of justice in this country' and 'fuel racist narratives'. A Home Office spokesperson said the Home Secretary believes there is 'a strong public interest in maximum transparency wherever that is possible', and that the Home Office and College of Policing are working with the Law Commission on the review.
