Brum Pride 'bans police' as chief constable won't apologise for historic hurt

COPS CAN'T MARCH ALONGSIDE CITY'S GAY COMMUNITIES AT 2026 EVENT

- JANE HAYNES

THE organisers of Birmingham Pride have banned uniformed West Midlands Police and senior officials from marching alongside the city's gay communities at the landmark annual celebration.

The move came after they claimed Chief Constable Craig Guildford had repeatedly refused to apologise for historic injustices towards the LGBT community. Around half of police force chief constables, including the Metropolitan Police, have done so.

Future relations between the Pride movement and police forces came under the spotlight earlier this month when the High Court ruled that Northumbria Police had been wrong to allow the force to be directly involved because it was deemed 'political.

As a result its staff have been ordered not to attend in uniform or police-identifying clothing. Other forces are reviewing their position on the issue but are likely to follow suit.

Lawrence Barton, director of Birmingham Pride, said the Pride committee had considered but resisted calls for a full ban on any police officers attending.

But he said for too long the police had used Pride events to proclaim solidarity with the LGBT community and to celebrate inclusivity without being willing to reflect on the force's previous actions.