Rick Prior, the recently ousted chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, has affirmed his stance on statements made in a recent interview with GB News that ultimately led to his dismissal.
Prior had been suspended last October following expressions of concern regarding perceived reluctance among officers when engaging with London’s ethnic minority communities. He suggested that apprehension surrounding potentially biased investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) was contributing to a situation where officers were, in his view, not consistently applying the law equitably across all demographics.
The Police Federation of England and Wales has now formally removed Prior from his leadership role, barring him from seeking any future positions within the organization.
Speaking on GB News, Prior reiterated: “I stand by everything I said in that interview.” He elaborated further, stating:
“I spoke out because I observed instances where race appeared to be utilized as an exacerbating factor by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to amplify and escalate allegations against officers. In many of these cases, when they proceeded to tribunal or court, the accusations of racism dissolved due to a lack of supporting evidence.”
He specifically cited two high-profile examples: the Bianca Williams and Dos Santos stop-and-search incident, and what is commonly known as the Croydon bus incident.
Prior also recounted an event where a woman resisted showing her ticket to a revenue protection officer, subsequently pushing past a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). “PC Perry, who was present fulfilling his duties as instructed, intervened and made an arrest,” Prior explained. A subsequent conviction against PC Lathwood was overturned on appeal.
Following the interview, the Metropolitan Police’s Professional Standards team reviewed Prior’s comments and determined they did not constitute misconduct.
After his suspension, Prior received support from the Free Speech Union.
The Federation’s permanent removal of Prior occurred shortly after he initiated a crowdfunding legal challenge to contest his suspension.
According to court documents obtained by GB News, the stated reason for the sanction was “commenting to the media about your suspension and the allegations against you,” deemed a violation of the conditions imposed during his suspension. Prior believes his removal stems from a “significant degree of political bias.”
The Policing Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) released a statement confirming: “We can confirm that Rick Prior, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, has been found in breach of the Federation’s Standards. As a result, Rick has been removed from his position as Chair and as a Federation representative and also prevented from standing for election to any Federation position. Both sanctions are imposed on a permanent basis.”
Speaking to The People’s Channel, Prior declared: “I am going to continue to fight this. I won’t be intimidated, and I won’t be bullied. We will challenge this decision.”
