Freemasons seek injunction against Met policy to declare membership
The group describes the decision as discriminatory and legally unjust
Freemasons have launched legal action against the Metropolitan Police, seeking an injunction to halt a policy requiring officers and staff to declare membership past or present in hierarchical organisations.
Earlier in December, the Met announced that belonging to groups such as the Freemasons would fall under its declarable associations policy, which demands disclosure of any affiliation with "hierarchical organisations that have confidential memberships and require members to support and protect each other."
The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is leading the legal challenge on behalf of Freemason organisations in England, Wales, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.
In a statement, UGLE described the policy as discriminatory and argued that it could damage the public's perception of Freemasons while possibly violating human rights and data protection laws.
UGLE's grand secretary, Adrian Marsh, criticised the Met's handling of the consultation process, saying: "There is a contradiction between the Met acceptance of our request for fuller consultation, which we welcome, but then refusing to suspend the decision pending the outcome of that consultation.
"To date, the consultation process has been wholly inadequate, prejudicial and unjust - and this injunction is the first step we must resort to, to protect our members whose integrity is impugned by the Met decision."
The Met's decision follows feedback from a survey among officers and staff, where two-thirds expressed concerns that membership in hierarchical organisations affects public trust and perception of police impartiality.
UGLE criticised the survey, stating that less than 5% of staff responded and accusing the force of rejecting alternative solutions. The organisation also emphasised that their requirement for members to support and protect each other includes a clear caveat that this is subject to the law of the land.
Sir Mark Rowley, chief of the Met Police, has supported the policy as part of broader efforts to improve transparency within the force.