Minister condemns riot but urges review of police anti-racism guidance following Henry Nowak death – UK politics live

Sarah Jones appeals for calm after rioting over the death of Nowak, who was handcuffed while dying from stab wound

Last night Abimbola Johnson, a barrister who chairs the independent scrutiny and oversight board for the police Race Action Plan, told Radio 4’s the World Tonight that he thought Chris Philp’s criticism of the police anti-racism commitment (see 8.19am) was “disingenuous”. He claimed that when Philp was policing minister

The chair of the oversight board that scrutinised the Police Race Action Plan has said Chris Philp’s criticism of the police’s policy is ‘disingenuous’ and that he never raised concerns with the plan when he was policing minister from 2022 to 2024. Johnson said:

For [Philp] to take umbrage at the idea that there is a commitment to reduce disparities in arrest rates and use of force is disingenuous.

And I would also highlight that when the Conservative government were in power and Chris Philp was the policing minister, not once did he meet with the Race Action Plan, not once did he bring any legitimate concerns that he may have had around that and involve himself in any constructive conversations about it.