It is from 2022. You may remember the context.
There was always something that seemed wrong about “Beergate”.
But one has to be careful to identify exactly what was wrong.
The proposition that politicians were subject to the law is one which should get universal assent in a liberal society.
And that the course of police investigations should not be subjected to political interference is another fine principle.
Instead the problem was about how the complaint and investigation was weaponised politically.
It appeared that politically motivated complaints to the police were to become a feature of our politics.
And that did not seem right.
Less obvious, however, was what to do about it.
For, as this blog has averred before, not every political problem has a solution.
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“Beergate” was not to be a one-off.
The tax affairs of Angela Rayner also led to a politically motivated complaint to the police and to a clamour on newspaper front pages.
And, just as with “Beergate”, the serious allegations were found not to warrant any further action.
But again it is less obvious what formally can be done about it. What law could be enacted or policy adopted to make sure It Never Happens Again.
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This week at Prospect (click and read here) I set out that any solution will have to come from the world of politics and not the legal system.
There should be a self-denying ordinance: a sense that this is not acceptable politics.
And, if that does not work, we can only hope the tactic becomes seen as ineffective, and it falls into disuse.
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Alternatively (1) the police could use their nous and not waste time on obvious set ups. Or (2) they should be more proactive in prosecuting for wasting police time if a referral turns out to utterly baseless.
I do not think the solution to this problem is yet more prosecutions.
(3) The Chief Constable of a police force shouldn’t be appearing at a fringe event at the Tory conference prior to their force opening (at the request of a Tory MP) an investigation into a Labour MP.
And vice versa.
https://leftfootforward.org/2024/04/greater-manchester-police-chief-who-reopened-investigation-into-angela-rayner-is-revealed-to-have-spoken-at-tory-conference/
The blatant lies peddled by politicians, particularly the Conservatives over the last ten/fifteen years relating to Brexit, Rwanda as a safe country, immigration et al which they have been allowed to get away with from a supine media has resulted in a catastrophic decline in behaviour and decency which is reflected in the recent politicisation of complaints to the police. I speak as someone who has been a Conservative voter all my life but never again as long as the present cohort of charlatans are running affairs. The SNP in Scotland are as bad if not worse and again have no shame or moral standards.
Self denial doesn’t appear to be high on the current crop of politicians list of things that one should respect.
We the electorate will need to ensure that it is seen as a self-defeating tactic with no gain to those using it.
Surely this wasteful, if politically effective short term tactic, should fall under “Wasting Police Time” and be prosecuted.
If a crime genuinely was committed – or if the complainant reasonably believes that a crime was committed – then the complainant is not wasting police time. You can’t have a law that says ‘reporting crimes to the police is fine except when you’re reporting a politician’. Politicians should obey the law too.
A root cause of the problem is that there are an incredible number of laws and crimes on the book, to the point that it is difficult for an ordinary person to avoid committing crimes. Tax, in particular, is problematic for anyone who has a more complicated source of income than regular PAYE employment. Even people who genuinely try to pay what they owe fall foul of complexity and HMRC incompetence. But almost anyone could be found guilty of *something* if their enemies or the police dug hard enough. So it’s no surprise that a) people will try to report their political enemies to the police and b) they will suspect that the question of which crimes are and aren’t investigated is politicized.
The root cause tells us a solution: simple but not easy. Reform the law, especially the absurdly complex tax code, to radically simplify it and make it far easier to comply with. That would be a better world for everyone, not just politicians worried about politically-motivated prosecutions.
I too thought “wasting police time” could be a way to stifle what we all know to be exactly that; a stupid political stunt and sadly very effective.
However it seems, as in beergate, there’s a deliberate attempt at attaining a political end by means of wasting police time. In the case of Angela Raynor the complainant (an MP) was unable to articulate the substance of the alleged crime.
I’d genuinely be interested to understand why “intent” as is seen here doesn’t qualify as an offence in itself.
I can’t see the Conservative Party giving this tactic up even if it doesn’t actually result in an opponent being convicted. All that is necessary is a distraction from whatever the current issue they are dealing with. Whether that is “partygate” (which begat “beergate”) or the prospect of facing a very popular opposition MP in an election year. The accusations against Angela Rayner should have evaporated quickly, the police having already investigated the tax liability of her house sale. But the renewed request, along with newspaper pressure, landed on the desk of a Chief Constable politically close to the Tory Party, and a lengthy and expensive reinvestigation inevitably took place. Perhaps the people concerned should be charged with wasting police time? “Beergate” had also already been fully investigated and this is a common thread here.
I don’t see a political answer being found while this tactic is able to create a furore in the media for weeks and therefore a productive outcome for the accusers. Political parties should not be able to direct the police in this way. From the police point of view, there should need to be compelling new evidence to re-open an investigation. Not the temporary political advantage for your mates in the party.
I feel some form of regulation about this is needed, at the very least something in Parliamentary Standing Orders. Clearly MPs should be able to report a crime, as any citizen can, but reporting a crime which has already been investigated is overzealous to say the least.
We have the opportunity to show what we think of this tactic by wiping the Conservatives off the political map in this election.