Facts

During a 15 March parliamentary debate on the contentious Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill, Patel said she had worked closely with the Police Federation, which represents the interests of 130,000 officers, when drafting the legislative proposal.

She said: “We ask our brave police officers to do the most difficult of jobs...and that is why I have worked closely with the Police Federation in developing this bill”

However, a freedom of information response revealed she did not consult the federation on the most controversial aspect of the bill – plans to limit protest – which have triggered demonstrations across the UK.

The federation’s response states: “We did not provide a written submission nor were we consulted on issues of protest-related legislation.”

Verdict

It may well have been true that Priti Patel worked closely with the Police Federation in developing the bill. But the Police Federation insists that it was not consulted on one of the most controversial elements of the Bill, namely protest related legislation.